The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services launched the Sleeves Up for Summer campaign in hopes of increasing statewide COVID-19 vaccinations. It’s a community-driven campaign to increase vaccination rates marked by events planned by local communities, business groups and healthcare and community organizations. The latest video for the campaign features Kenai Fire Chief Tony Prior.
Prior told KSRM that the Kenai Fire Department’s mobile unit will help administer COVID-19 vaccines at Soldotna Creek Park with Kenai Public Health Nurses, “We’ve gotten past the point where we had all of the mask clinics and so now we’re into that phase where we’re able to get small quantity of people at a time. Once it become eligible with the emergency use authorization and then also with the ones that have been undecided or finally decided that they wanted to, which one they may have gotten enough information that they’re comfortable with it now, we’re trying to get that availability out there. If people didn’t have a chance to go through to the clinics like So Prep, we’re now trying to figure out well here’s ones that people will be maybe coming to the Wednesday markets to the Saturday markets in Kenai, the other groups, maybe the dip net season when they’re out there and provide it to them. Also on June first, as you’re aware of, it becomes available to anybody that’s in Alaska, so it doesn’t matter what state you reside in, we can get a vaccine to them.”
Prior’s testimony follows a vote last month by the Kenai City Council determining that he was allowed to participate in the campaign. Before the vote in May, some council members felt that Prior participating in Sleeves Up for Summer would lead to ‘trust issues’.
