Thousands Answer Call For Volunteers To Help With Vaccine Distribution
Mar 1, 2021, 5:45 AM | Updated: 5:51 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – COVID-19 vaccine makers said the U.S. will see a big increase in available doses over the next month, but getting those vaccines into arms takes time and people.
The Utah Department of Health put out a call for volunteers, and Utahns answered that call.
The request for 1,000 volunteers resulted in 4,500 people offering their time.
Jessica Sanders, a volunteer from Pleasant Grove, said she has no medical training but she wanted to get involved with the vaccine distribution.
She’s now helping out weekly at vaccination sites in Utah County.
“I help people sign in, check in, I verify paperwork, identification,” she said. “Stuff like that.”
Sanders said she loves being on site with those receiving the vaccine to celebrate this milestone with them. It’s an experience she said she won’t soon forget.
“It just really showed me how much of a community effort this is,” she said. “And also seeing so many of our veterans there and wearing their hats and telling me, ‘Thank you,’ and then telling each other, ‘Thank you for (your) service in the military’ was pretty awesome.”
According to UDOH, volunteers are no longer needed for vaccine distribution, and health officials are thanking Utahns for stepping up.
There are other ways to help, though.
For a full list of ways to lend a helping hand, visit coronavirus.utah.gov/help.
