by Hailey Barrus-The family owned Siouxland pharmacy, Drilling Pharmacy, received 1,200 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on February 21st. Since receiving the vaccine, they have spent the past several days distributing it to the community.
Drilling has been serving Sioux City for the past 50 years when Donald Drilling Sr. opened its doors in October of 1970. Since then, Donald’s two sons, Bill and Don, have taken over for their late father as pharmacists and owners of the store. The two brothers and Sarah Sorenson, Bill’s daughter, continue the tradition of making their customers feel like part of their family.
The pharmacy is following federal guidelines for distributing the vaccine and opened their doors to anyone who is 65 and older to make an appointment to receive their vaccination. Following this phase will be essential workers, such as healthcare professionals and teachers throughout Sioux City.
“We are urging people to call us or sign up on our website if they are interested in receiving the vaccine. It is important we do our part to stop the spread of COVID and I encourage others to get the vaccine wherever it is available,” said Bill.
The pharmacy has been keeping up with their customers’ prescriptions throughout the day on top of preparing and organizing a safe space for people to come in and receive their vaccines. Employees have been staying extra hours to administer as many vaccinations as possible. From cleaning waiting areas, to preparing and filing paperwork, Drilling’s employees have gone above and beyond the past few weeks serving Siouxland.
“I was one of the few employees that got certified to actually give the vaccines to customers and it feels awesome that I get to make history as one of the health care workers distributing the vaccine,” said Maddy Borden, an advanced technician at the pharmacy.
In the weeks to come, Drilling expects to receive even more vaccines. Drilling is encouraging students at Morningside College that are interested in pharmaceuticals or nursing to volunteer at the store to help with people coming in to get vaccinations.
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