Courtesy photo One section of the giant tent erected over the weekend for a COVID-19 vaccination clinic that immunized more than 2,500 people shows the scope of the operation, which took place on the campus of Fidelity Investments in Merrimack. (Courtesy photo)

MERRIMACK – Chances are, if you’re a local teacher, school staff member, child care provider, youth camp counselor or happen to be past age 50, you may have been among the 2,570 people vaccinated last weekend against the COVID-19 virus.

The large-scale clinic, conducted by representatives of the Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services, took place on the campus of Fidelity Investments on Saturday and Sunday, thanks in large part, according to a DPHCS spokeswoman, to Fidelity’s “planning team,” which she said provided “outstanding support and assistance” by being “involved in every step of bringing (the clinic) to reality, in every way they could.”

According to the spokeswoman, DPHCS health promotion and communication specialist Nicole Chute, those who attended the clinic received the Moderna vaccine, and they are all scheduled to receive their second dose in four weeks at the same location.

DPHCS public Health Network Services coordinator Patty Crooker also praised Fidelity, and said she is “continually in awe of the dedication our community has shown in support of our COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

“Greater Nashua has stepped up to the challenge,” Crooker said, citing the efforts of her agency’s staff, school district employees and community volunteers in “putting not only their time, but their hearts and souls, into making sure these clinics are a success.”

Courtesy photo Some of the more than 2,500 people who received COVID-19 vaccinations during a two-day clinic in Merrimack over the weekend wait to be called to the next open station. The clinic was mainly for teachers, other school employees and child care providers. (Courtesy photo)

Teams of health care workers and volunteers were stationed at numerous locations inside the massive, 10,000 square-foot tent set up on the Fidelity property. The entire clinic took place inside the tent, including designated space for supplies, a command center, and break rooms for clinic staff and volunteers, she added.

Joseph Murray, Fidelity’s vice president of public affairs, said the company-wide effort “really gets to the core of what Fidelity Investments is all about.”

The company “believes in the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines,” Murray said, adding that it also believes “that having as many people as possible vaccinated is the best path to maximize safety for our associates and our communities.”

Nashua Superintendent of Schools Garth J. McKinney said in brief remarks that he “cannot thank Bobbie Bagley and her team enough for their great counsel over the course of the pandemic,” referring to the DPHCS executive director.

The clinic, McKinney said, “is a tangible sign that a return to normalcy will happen sooner rather than later for us, our students and their families.”

Courtesy photo Nashua Division of Public Health & Community Services chief public health nurse Kim Bernard, left, and public health nurse and immunization coordinator Jennifer Swabowicz worked one of the numerous immunization stations at last weekend's vaccination clinic for Greater Nashua teachers, school staff and child care providers held on the Fidelity Investments campus in Merrimack. (Courtesy photo)

Meanwhile, beginning this Friday, all New Hampshire residents age 16 and up can begin registering for a vaccination appointment.

That process can be done at www.vaccines.nh.gov or by calling 2-1-1.

For more information, go to nashuanh.gov/1332/COVID-19 or call the agency’s hotline at 589-3456.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

Newsletter