JENNINGS COUNTY — Following the relaxation of statewide COVID-19 mandates on April 6, Jennings County Health Nurse Pam Petry said the county is slowly moving back towards resuming normal life.
“Thanks to vaccinations and the efforts of this whole community, our numbers are good," she said. "We are in the blue zone now, and we are talking about normal activities like the Sassafras Festival, the fair and summertime sports."
Since February, the health department has steadily increased the amount of vaccinations they are providing to the community. According to Petry, they’re now giving more than 200 vaccinations each day.
JCHD has the Moderna vaccine, and those 18 and older can sign up at ourshot.in.gov or by calling 211. Hoosiers aged 16 and 17 can also sign up to get their first shot, but must receive the Pfizer vaccine.
While the Jennings County Health Department has only been offering vaccination times during weekdays, they will also be holding a clinic on Saturday, April 17.
“We are expected to do at least 900 vaccinations each week and, at that rate, we are well on the way to achieving community-wide immunity against the virus,” Petry said. “We could not be doing this at this rate without the help we are receiving from the Indiana National Guard. We have had a team of Guardsmen here since February and it has made all the difference in the world."
A team of three medics and three administrators from the Guard are currently assigned to help the health department.
"So far, this has been my favorite assignment ever," Staff Sgt. Kevin Dicker from Jeffersonville said. I miss being at home, but I really do like this community. It sure beats Afghanistan."
Going into the weekend, more than 6,000 Jennings residents had received their first dose of the vaccine and over 4,000 had been fully vaccinated.
Thanks to the help of the Guardsmen and a steady flow of volunteers, Petry said they were able to move COVID-19 vaccination operations from the second floor of the Jennings County Government Building down to the large meeting room on the first floor, increasing the amount of vaccinations provided.
“This is not just about the health department. This is a community effort, and the Guardsmen have now become a part of our community," Petry said. "Every day, we have volunteers that help with processing people for their shots. We also have many churches and organizations who bring food and snacks every day to make sure all the workers have food. It’s really wonderful."
In addition to providing vaccinations against COVID-19, every county health department oversees their county’s safety response measures against the threat of COVID-19.
“From the beginning of the pandemic, we have tried to keep Jennings as open as possible," Petry said. "Now that the governor has relaxed the mask mandate, we are encouraging residents to continue to follow health and safety practices. It is up to the businesses to decide if masks are a requirement and we are asking residents and visitors to respect their wishes. However, we are requiring all restaurant wait staff and food workers to continue to wear masks through April 30."
Like her fellow citizens, Petry said she’s looking forward to some of the annual events coming back.
“I know I am looking forward to the normal summertime activities around here and I think the Sassafras Festival is a great way to open things back up," she said. "Most all the activities at Sassafras are outside and we can social distance. I am going to bring my grandchildren down and we are going to get all dressed up and have fun like we used to do.”
