Forest County commissioners said Wednesday that many county residents are receiving COVID-19 vaccinations at the Clarion Hospital clinic, leading the commissioners to commend the hospital and Clarion County commissioners for their work.
“We are very pleased with the cooperation from Clarion Hospital and the Clarion County commissioners letting our people go down there to get the vaccine,” Forest commissioner Bob Snyder said.
Snyder added there haven’t been too many issues getting people signed up and vaccinated.
“It takes a lot of people to operate the clinic – greeters, people to do disinfecting, traffic control,” Forest commissioner Basil Huffman said.
Snyder said the biggest hurdle at the Clarion clinic is getting enough doses of the vaccine.
Snyder said Clarion Hospital representatives have said they are giving out 600 shots a day two days a week, but if they can get enough doses of the vaccine they have the staff and space to give out 1,200 shots a day, seven days a week.
Snyder added that people are coming from as far away as Allegheny County to get the vaccine in Clarion. He also said the Clarion clinic could be a regional clinic if enough doses of the vaccine would become available.
The grant, which will be administered by the Northwest Commission, would be available to businesses such as bars and restaurants that haven’t received other COVID-related aid, Snyder said.
The businesses must be able to show they lost at least 50% of their income between March 2020 and December 2020 as compared to the same time in 2019 to be eligible for the grant, Snyder said.
In another matter, Snyder said the county is waiting for some broadband equipment that doesn’t depend on line of sight to work and is effective up to a mile and a half, which will open up new areas from broadband expansion.
Commissioners chairman Mark Kingston said the people who have been hooked up to the available broadband are very happy with the results.