At MetroLink's COVID-19 vaccine clinic, organizers said they distributed over 50 shots. The clinic at Centre Station in Moline on Thursday ran from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
"It's so important for us as a community partner to do all that we can to get more people vaccinated," said Jennifer Hirsch, the MetroLink manager of administration. "I'm so happy to see that, again, there's been a steady flow of people so far."
Those who got vaccinated were given a free bus pass for the month of September and a gift card to Meli's Pancake House in downtown Moline.
"That $30 monthly pass is really important in providing, you know, affordable transportation to our residents, and getting it for free for a month is somewhat of an incentive for folks," Hirsch said.
MetroLink purchased the gift cards themselves to hand out. Meli's owner, Melissa Figueroa, said she was glad to help out when Hirsch told her why she was buying so many gift cards.
Figueroa's cousin is currently hospitalized and on life support due to COVID-19.
"It's a wake up call," Figueroa said. "Honestly, I thought it wasn't really even a virus, and then when it got close, this close, it makes you think like is it worth not being vaccinated and having your family and friends look at you through a window?"
As of lunchtime Thursday, 15 people had already come in to use their gift cards.
"I didn't think anybody was gonna go down [to the clinic] today," Figueroa said. "We've been having a good crew come in today too."
"If we can at least get one person vaccinated, then I would say that that's a win," Hirsch said.