Swinomish starts COVID-19 vaccinations

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community administered its first 72 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Monday at its medical clinic, with the first doses going to Tribal elders, starting with the eldest elders of the Tribe. Some front-line staff of the Swinomish Medical Clinic also received the vaccine.

“We are thankful that we can begin vaccinations to protect those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19,” said Swinomish Chairman Steve Edwards.

“We all know that elders everywhere are vulnerable, and that’s especially true in Indian Country where our extended families may share homes. We also want to protect our health care workers and first responders who risk COVID-19 everyday as they work to keep us all safe.”

Over the coming weeks, the Medical Clinic will provide additional vaccinations to elders, Tribal healthcare workers and Reservation first responders, and then to the Tribal community. “The Senate has talked with our Swinomish medical staff and we are convinced that this vaccine is safe,” continued Chairman Edwards. “We encourage our community to take advantage of the vaccine when it can made be available to us.”

The Tribe elected to receive Moderna vaccines through the Washington Department of Health. “The Moderna vaccine is well-suited to rural health care facilities,” said Monica Carrillo, M.D., a physician at the Swinomish Clinic. “We have studied the data about this vaccine, and from what we see it is a very safe drug, with very little reaction expected other than the immune response that it is designed to trigger and that will provide us with protection.”