Photo courtesy of Avera Marshall Marshall resident Mike Verdeck received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. On Friday and Monday, hundreds of people were expected to get vaccinated at clinics held by Avera Marshall. More area seniors, teachers and child care providers were also vaccinated through clinics held by GuidePoint Pharmacy in Marshall over the past week.

MARSHALL — COVID-19 vaccine supplies may still be limited, but area providers are continuing to make headway on immunizing people in vulnerable populations.

Over the past week, hundreds of people including area seniors, teachers and child care providers were vaccinated through clinics held by Avera Marshall and GuidePoint Pharmacy in Marshall.

Avera Marshall administered vaccines at its Carlson Street campus on Friday and Monday. Between those two days and a smaller pilot clinic last Wednesday, around 700 people would receive vaccinations, said Avera Marshall communications partner Stacy Neubeck. GuidePoint Pharmacy in Marshall held vaccination clinics on Friday and Saturday, and pharmacist Sandy Murphy said 100 people age 65 and over and 100 educators and child care providers were vaccinated last week.

“People are pretty anxious to get (the vaccine), and we’re anxious to give it,” Murphy said. “We hope to get through our list as fast as we can.”

The Marshall GuidePoint location is among the pharmacies and health providers selected by the state to roll out COVID vaccines, and last week Avera Marshall announced it would also be reaching out to patients age 65 and older to schedule vaccination appointments.

While the available supply of vaccine is still much smaller than the number of people who want it, the state of Minnesota is continuing to find more ways for seniors and other vulnerable populations to get their shots. On Monday, Gov. Tim Walz announced that he would be reallocating 8,000 vaccine doses for 40 Walgreens pharmacy locations across the state to vaccinate Minnesotans age 65 and older. Walmart and Thrifty White pharmacies in Minnesota are also participating in the first phase of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program that launches this week.

While the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases have recently been slowing down in Minnesota, Lyon and surrounding counties still continue to have new cases. Since the start of the pandemic, around 3,000 Lyon County residents have been confirmed positive for COVID-19, and a total of 42 people have died, the Minnesota Department of Health said. The most recent death, a person in their 70s, was reported on Saturday.

So far, local vaccination clinics have been working smoothly. Neubeck said Avera Marshall held vaccination clinics inside the Carlson Street clinic instead of using the site for drive-up COVID-19 test sample collection this weekend.

“The site works,” she said. Even cold temperatures this weekend didn’t keep people from making their appointments.

While Avera Marshall recommends that patients don’t call them to try and make COVID vaccination appointments, GuidePoint is taking contact information from seniors interested in getting the vaccine. Murphy said area seniors can call the Marshall GuidePoint to be placed on the waiting list for vaccine doses as they become available.