dgau@marshallindependent.com
Photo courtesy of Avera Marshall
Residents and staff at Avera Morningside Heights received the first COVID-19 vaccines in Marshall on Monday. Area hospital and clinic staff will be getting vaccinated starting later this week. Above, Morningside Heights resident Ruth Rust receives the COVID-19 vaccine Monday.
MARSHALL It’s been a long wait, but this week area health care workers are taking historic steps to fight COVID-19.
Avera Marshall started administering its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, with residents and staff of long-term care facilities first in line to be immunized. Starting later this week, hospital and clinic staff in locations including Marshall, Granite Falls and Tyler will also be getting doses of the vaccine.
Reporter
Photos by Deb Gau
In the top photo, Cindy Nelson of Southwest Health and Human Services and Vickie Abel of Avera Marshall planned out deliveries of holiday gifts for area families. Avera employees and SWHHS have been teaming up for more than 10 years to provide Christmas gifts for families in the six-county SWHHS service area.
MARSHALL It was a chilly morning, in the middle of a pandemic. But it didn’t put a damper on the holiday spirit, as a long line of employees in Santa hats walked out of Avera Marshall Medical Center, carrying armloads of wrapped gifts.