PENDLETON — A line of cars Friday, Oct. 29, stretched from the Pendleton Convention Center to Roy Raley Park as hundreds of people lined up for the long wait to get their COVID-19 booster shot.

Officials said at least 400 people received boosters at the clinic, where flu shots and first COVID-19 doses also were available. The line was so long that some people said they waited more than two-and-a-half hours for their shot.

“I have other plans today,” said an impatient 88-year-old Delores Hendricks, laughing. At around 1:15 p.m., she was near the end of the line after arriving at the clinic two hours before.

“I don’t want to get the virus,” said Hendricks, a Pendleton resident since 1950. “People my age, they don’t always make it … I don’t know why people don’t want to get (the vaccine). I think they should. We need to get rid of this thing.”

The clinic was scheduled to start at 9 a.m., but the earliest patients showed up at 7:30 a.m. Health officials delivered doses on a breezy day where the rain, at times, poured sideways. Joe Fiumara, Umatilla County’s public health director, said health officials at the clinic were “a little cold and a little wet.” Some officials wore trash bags over their sweatshirts.

The clinic was one of two in Umatilla County that day, with the second occurring in Milton-Freewater. Fiumara said the turnout was larger than expected.

“We’re glad people showed up,” Fiumara said. “We’re glad to give everyone who wants a booster a booster.”

Who can get a booster?

Research shows booster shots can bolster protection against COVID-19, especially for those most vulnerable to infection.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports people who received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine are eligible for boosters if they are 65 and older. People who are 18 and older and live in a long-term care facility, have underlying health conditions, or work or live in a space at high-risk for infection also are eligible.

The CDC recommends people get a booster shot six months after getting their Pfizer or Moderna shot.

Johnson & Johnson recipients over the age of 18 also are eligible for boosters, the CDC says. They can get their booster two months after their first dose.

Recipients can mix-and-match with any of the vaccines, according to the CDC.

Pendleton booster clinic

The long line of vehicles snaked through the convention center parking lot the after of Oct. 29. People sat in their cars with their heaters and radios on for hours. Most people seeking their extra immunizations were elderly. Several patients groaned at the wait, but most were in jovial spirits.

There was Terry and Raylene Ellis, a retired school teacher and retired entertainer. For two hours and 47 minutes, they talked, complained, laughed and sang along to tunes on the radio.

They said Umatilla County’s low vaccination rates — and high infection rates drove — them to get extra protection. They said they know people personally who have died of COVID-19.

“I couldn’t have dreamt up this pandemic,” Terry said.

After getting his booster, Terry said he plans to finally get back to playing racquetball at the gym. He and Raylene said they would encourage other people to get vaccinated to protect the other people in their community.

“I go with the science,” Raylene said. “Let’s all take care of each other.”

A few cars ahead of them sat Mike and Linda Ferguson. As senior citizens, they said they recognize they are at increased risk of severe illness and need all the extra protection they can get. They, too, know people who have died of COVID-19.

“When it’s somebody close to you, you know how serious it is,” Linda said.

To Mike, getting a booster carries with it one step toward a massive goal:

“You’re hoping to put an end to the pandemic.”