The COVID-19 vaccine is free and widely available right now. Here's a breakdown of where you can find which kind of vaccine, this week and next, in the Homer area.
Ulmer's Pharmacy on Lake Street is taking appointments, as is Safeway on Sterling Highway. Patients of Kachemak Medicalon Bartlett and SVT Health and Wellnesson East Road should contact their medical provider for information on which type of vaccine is available.
Appointments are available daily for the Pfizer vaccine, the only vaccine approved for people aged 16 and 17, at South Peninsula Hospital's test and vaccine site.
There are many appointments available for the vaccination clinic scheduled for next Saturday, April 17 at Homer High School. The April 17 clinic will have the single dose, Janssen vaccine.
Homer Unified Command will run a mostly second dose clinic this Saturday, the 10th at Homer High, but that clinic is booked.
To make an appointment for a first dose, Pfizer shot at the site at 4201 Bartlett Street, or make an appointment for Janssen vaccine at the clinic on April 17,
go to the hospital website, sphosp.org. If you need assistance or don't have internet access, call, 235-0235.
The State of Alaska vaccine monitoring board shows 21.6% of eligible people on the Kenai Peninsula are already fully vaccinated.
Alaska is trending up in positive cases and the entire peninsula, along with Anchorage and much of the State, is designated on High Alert which means greater than 10 cases per 100,000 population.
The State's data dashboard shows 94 active cases on the entire Kenai Peninsula identified over the last 14 days.
36 people are hospitalized across the State.
SPH spokesperson Derotha Ferraro says The State of Alaska has expanded the qualifying criteria for who can get a free COVID test.
"If you recently attended a social gathering or you were in a crowded indoor space with a lot of other people. In addition to a medical procedure, feeling sick, having symptoms, possibly being exposed to a known COVID positive person," Ferraro said.
Get a COVID test 7 days a week at the site at 4201 Bartlett Street from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. by calling South Peninsula Hospital 's COVID Line at 235-0235.
