The Coronavirus vaccine has arrived in Guthrie County, and the Guthrie County Health Department will host the first phase of vaccinations today.

Public Health Director Jotham Arber says the county received all 400 allotted doses of the Moderna vaccine, but time restraints forced some changes to the schedule.

“The max number [of vaccinations] that we can do with the staffing we have would be about 120. Once we reach that number, we’ll stop taking appointments. We just don’t have the space or the staff to do more than that, but that’s a pretty good start honestly. Then, we’ll catch everyone else [in the first phase] next week.”

Arber cautions attendees to be patient while waiting for their turn.

“Stay in your vehicle until the screener comes. Don’t come into the health department. Stay in your car. We will have someone out there screening. They’ll come to your car, get your name. Make sure you are bringing your QR code, having that printed off. If you’re having issues with that, give us a call and let us know. It should be a pretty smooth process if everything works well.”

The clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for healthcare providers, hospital and emergency medical staff. Appointments must be scheduled. Due to limited staffing and space availability for the initial clinic, the Health Department will host clinics on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week as well.