HERMISTON — Vaccination booths have been a common feature at local events for months. And while workers at these booths often are idle, and vaccination lines can be short or nonexistent, there are victories to be told.

Alisha Lundgren, Umatilla County Health deputy director, said her office has worked with the Oregon Health Authority and local health providers to coordinate and staff local vaccination booths. The county health department was present with workers at the Umatilla County Fair and the Pendleton Round-up.

She said 34 people were vaccinated at the fair parade alone, and 39 at the fair. During Round-Up week, at the staff booth and the county health department office, 57 vaccinations were given.

Kori Hibbard is a home visiting nurse with the Nurse-Family Partnership program for Umatilla County. She has staffed booths at the Pendleton Farmers Market as well as local mass drive-thru events and visits to local businesses.

“I can’t think of one vaccination event, whether public or private, that I’ve been to where somebody has been inappropriate or angry or said something (negative),” she said.

She described people at the events as “hopeful,” “excited,” and “appreciative.”

She said she figures she has worked at 20 to 30 vaccination events, including visits to workplaces. She started in February 2021. Generally, her experience at those events has been “positive,” she said.

“They’re appreciative of us being there,” she said.

Getting the vaccine, for many people, has meant being able to see family again and feel safe.

This response is much different from reports Hibbard has seen in national news. She has heard of ugliness in other places, and she has been concerned it would happen here to her. Though she remains “a little worried,” she said, she is happy she has yet to experience harassment or violence.

What she often gets, she said, are people approaching her at events to ask about the numbers of vaccines she has given. She tells them she tends to give around 15 vaccinations during a typical three-hour shift at the Pendleton Farmers Market. This number varies at other events.

She said she has had some events where she worked a seven-hour day and only vaccinated five people.

“I think everyone should get the vaccine,” Hibbard said, adding she feels disappointed about people who still do not get it. At the same time, she said she views each vaccination as a victory. While she would like to see hundreds of people lining up for it, she still is pleased with each one.

Advertising and word of mouth are key to the best vaccination events, she said. When there are signs, there are more people. Also, when there are incentives, such as food coupons or carnival wristbands, more people get vaccinations.

Hibbard has not given up on unvaccinated people. She said she thinks there still are people who will change their mind. Often, when people change their mind about the vaccine, it is because of personal experiences. They see other people with bad COVID-19 cases or they suffer COVID-19 themselves, and they decide to become vaccinated.

Many people see other people get the vaccine and seem fine, which also is encouraging. She, herself, has never seen a single bad reaction to a vaccine she has given. This makes her confident in the vaccine.

“I think the vaccine should still offer people hope,” she said. “It’s made me feel safer.”