Inside the Aston Vaccine Clinic
Colleen Guiney (left) and Lisa O’Mahony at one of Delaware County’s five vaccine centers. Photo: Rachel Pastan
“There are going to be about 1,009 vaccines given today,” Lisa O’Mahony says.
It’s a Friday afternoon, about halfway through a 9-hour day of COVID-19 vaccination distribution at the Aston Community Center, one of five sites where Delaware County is delivering vaccines. At tables spread across the basketball court, volunteers in bright blue T-shirts register vaccine-seekers and take their health information, then usher them to another table where nurses administer shots.
“It’s a very positive environment,” O’Mahony says. “The volunteers are super enthusiastic.”
A retired pediatrician who lives in Swarthmore, O’Mahony collaborates with a team overseeing Delaware County’s vaccine effort. As Medical Advisor for the county, she answers questions from the county’s vaccine hotline, coordinates policy with other county administrators and the Chester County Health Department, and, when she’s on site, makes sure operations run smoothly.
Over by one wall, nurses draw Moderna vaccine into syringes. Many of the nurses are volunteers as well, some from local nursing schools like Widener and Villanova. Sporting blue vests reading “Delco MRC” (Medical Reserve Corp), volunteer staff monitor the doses carefully. Unopened bottles can stay out of the refrigerator for up to 12 hours, O’Mahony explains, and uncapped vials for six. Once filled, a syringe must be used within one hour.
Beyond a divider, folding chairs are set up in a neat grid. Here, the newly vaccinated sit, waiting the required 15-30 minutes to make sure they don’t have a reaction. Occasionally, a harpist comes in to play music to them, O’Mahony says. “He’s a music therapist,” she explains. “He’s wonderful.”
Most people who come to the site are happy and excited, O’Mahony says, noting that “Some of these elderly people haven’t been out of their house in a year.”
She recalls one man in particular. “It was his 100th birthday, and he was giving out little sachets of candy and a button with his photo on it. I remember that the nurse administering his vaccine said, ‘I can’t wait to show this to my family, and I’ll be telling my grandchildren about this.’”
One challenge is what to do with extra doses of vaccine left at the end of a day. This happens because people register on multiple lists, get a vaccine one place, and then don’t take themselves off of other lists. At first “there was a lot of scrambling,” O’Mahony recalls. But now the county has a dedicated list of people who are eligible and ready to fill a slot on short notice. “They’re all vetted Phase 1-A people,” she confirms.
Those in phase 1A — age 65 and over, or who have one of a number of medical conditions that put them at risk for more severe disease — are currently the only people authorized to get a COVID vaccine in Pennsylvania.
As of March 25, 123,202 doses of first vaccine have been administered in Delaware County, and 65,732 individuals are fully immunized with two doses, for a total to 188,934 shots delivered, O’Mahony reports. “We are close to 30% of eligible residents receiving at least one dose,” she adds.
The county has now begun taking the vaccine to pop-up sites around the community. “We held a vaccine event at Upper Darby recently where we gave out about 1,230 vaccines,” O’Mahony recounts. Community outreach teams will soon be bringing vaccinations to 500 homebound residents a week, according to the county.
Retired nurse Colleen Guiney, also of Swarthmore, volunteers in Aston several times a week.
“Today I’m the medical person overseeing the observation area,” she explains. Guiney pays special attention to anyone who has severe allergies, guiding them toward the front of the waiting room after their shots. “I always walk them up myself and introduce them to the medic, so he knows who they are,” she remarks.
After people leave, she adds, “I get my spray bottle, and I clean the chairs.”
Guiney hopes more people will sign up to help, either for medical or non-medical tasks. “It’s so rewarding,” she says. “And we’re going to need so many people in the next month!”
Sign up to volunteer for either a medical or nonmedical role here
A list of the 25 active COVID vaccination sites in the county, including local hospitals, physician offices, and pharmacies.
The Delaware County COVID-19 Call Center hotline is available six days a week: 484-276-2100.
