A Department of Veterans Affairs vaccine clinic held at the Sector Juneau Coast Guard Station helped get dozens of veterans vaccinated on Saturday.
The clinic was the first of its kind in partnership with the military service in Juneau, but it’s a reflection of broader ties to help Alaskans between the two organizations, said the VA in Alaska’s acting director, Tom Steinbrunner.
“Here in Juneau, we have a wonderful relationship with the Coast Guard,” said Steinbrunner, who became acting director mid-pandemic on June 20, 2020, in an interview. “It’s important to do community outreach and a good opportunity to partner with the Coast Guard.”
There are more than 75,000 veterans in Alaska, Steinbrunner said. Only about 6,000 of them have been vaccinated so far. The clinic was able to vaccinate 50 veterans in Juneau on Saturday, said Katie Yearley, a public affairs specialist for the VA in Alaska.
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The VA has been holding twice-weekly vaccine clinics at its own facility in the Juneau Federal Building, Steinbrunner said. However, this marks the first time the VA has administered the recently approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one injection, said the chief of staff for the VA in Alaska, Dr. Cynthia Joe.
Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire Alan Salsman answers questions prior to receiving a COVID-19 vaccination Saturday at a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic held at Coast Guard Station Juneau.
“This is our first Janssen (Johnson & Jonson) vaccine clinic,” Joe said. “We’re running a clinic here and up in Anchorage.”
Joe said the J&J vaccine would likely ease distribution to remote sites, and speed vaccination now that they had a vaccine that didn’t have such stringent storage requirements or the need for a follow-on shot three or four weeks later.
“I’m glad the VA set this up. It’s good see they’re looking out for veterans,” said Matt Schofield, a Coast Guard veteran who received the Janssen vaccine on Saturday. “For me, I really wasn’t gonna get it, but my sister got COVID a while back and it was fairly rough.”
The distribution of veterans around the state can make things difficult for the VA to administer the vaccine, Joe said. The VA is currently looking for more remote communities that have veterans who need the vaccine, Joe said.
Department of Veterans Affairs nurse Dale Cotton administers a dose of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during a clinic at Coast Guard Station Juneau on March 13, 2021. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
“In Alaska, it’s not hard to isolate,” Schofield said. “I hope that this opens up doors. I hope I can get back on the road and do the road trip I always wanted to do.”
Steinbrunner also held up Dr. Anne Zink and the Department of Health and Social Services for their close work with the VA in assisting veterans in Alaska throughout the pandemic.
The City and Borough of Juneau also vaccinated 2,140 residents during clinics over the weekend, said CBJ spokesperson Lisa Phu in an email.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
