'I can sleep a little bit better': Veterans hope normalcy returns with COVID-19 vaccines

The last year has been isolating for Vietnam veteran Dennis Williams.

The 75-year-old used to travel 50 miles from his home in Burnet to the Cedar Park Community Based Outpatient Clinic for medical services and to catch up with friends he’d made over the years.

“They call us the dirty dozen,” he said of the 12 men who share stories over coffee and snacks and have become a support system for one another.

The new coronavirus pandemic forced Williams, who is diabetic and at greater risk of becoming severely ill from the virus, to mostly stay home where he lives by himself. Then this month’s snowstorm kept him locked in his house for roughly 10 days.

“I miss that,” he said. “It’s been tough.”

But Williams could be one step closer to rejoining his friends in the near future – he received the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday.

Williams was one of an estimated 500 veterans who received a vaccine at the Cedar Park Veterans Affairs clinic.

The event was open to veterans 65 and older who are registered with the VA and their qualified caregivers.

This age group represents a large portion of the veterans the clinic serves and they tend to be at higher risk of contracting the virus, said Cheri Darden, one of the registered nurses leading the event.

The clinic has held smaller vaccine drives the past few months but this is one of the largest events it has put on, she said.

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Clinic sees steady lines

A line formed outside the clinic about an hour before it opened for appointments at 9 a.m., Darden said.

By the afternoon, a steady stream of people continued coming in for their chance at a shot after the clinic began taking walk-ins.

“It’s been gangbusters all day,” Darden said.

Staff outside took patients’ temperatures, asked them whether they felt sick or had recently tested positive for COVID-19 and directed them to a seating area where they had to fill out intake forms.

Patients were called into the clinic in small groups and directed to a maze of hallways where nurses and doctors asked patients about medications they take and explained to them the possible side effects of the vaccine.

By about 3 p.m. staff had given out nearly 500 vaccines of the 1,000 doses available. Darden and other nurses planned to call some of the veterans or caregivers who hadn’t received a vaccine earlier in the day to ensure the few remaining unfrozen doses didn’t go to waste.

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The other half weren’t unfrozen and can be used at a later date, said Canaan Brumley, spokesperson for the VA Central Texas Health Care System.

Despite not reaching their goal, Darden said staff was happy with the turnout.

The vaccine clinic was originally schedule for last weekend but was canceled because of the storm. Staff had to scramble to reschedule appointments and get volunteers to work the event, she said.

“It has been a herculean effort to put this on but it’s so important,” she said.

Many of the veterans who received vaccines are from the Cedar Park area and receive services at the clinic. Others, like Williams, drove from neighboring communities.

Darden said many have mobility issues or a lack of transportation so having events like these locally are important. It’s also a familiar setting and may be more comfortable than going to another state-run site, she said.

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The end is in sight

For many of the veterans at Saturday’s event the vaccine represents a chance to return to a sense of normalcy and routine.

Williams said he jumped at the offer when a VA staff member called him to ask if he wanted a vaccine.

He’s looking forward to his second dose in a month and hopefully meeting up with his friends again, he said.

“I wanted to get it as soon as I could,” he said. “I hope this helps us get out from under all this mess.”

It has also helped alleviate theirs and their families’ concerns about contracting the virus.

Kenneth Burns, 72, said he got vaccinated for his wife of 33 years.

Burns, who drove about 45 miles from his home in Marble Falls, said after serving about nine years in the U.S. Army and as a pilot in the Vietnam War he didn’t fear getting sick or dying but this was important to her.

It’ll allow her a bit more freedom to leave the house without worrying about getting him sick, he said.

Victor Polanco said getting the vaccine lifted a weight off him.

He knows firsthand how devastating the virus is. Three of his friends who he used to play fast-pitch baseball with and a cousin have died from the virus, he said.

“Now I can sleep a little bit better,” he said.

Reach reporter Paulina Pineda at paulina.pineda@azcentral.com or 480-389-9637. Follow her on Twitter: @paulinapineda22.