‘Superhero’ Pharmacist Vaccinates 3,000 at North Penn High School Over Weekend

Keith Heffintrayer•

The line for entry at the pop-up vaccination site at North Penn High School on March 21, 2021.

Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has increased in recent weeks, however officials across Philadelphia’s collar counties — including Montgomery County — have expressed their disappointment and frustration at what they view as an unfair allotment of the vaccines given their counties populations.

Enter Dr. Mayank “Mak” Amin, from Skippack Pharmacy.

For the third time in recent weeks, Amin and his team of volunteers held a pop-up vaccination site to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to at-risk residents in Montgomery County. Whereas the first two clinics were able to vaccinate 2,600 people across both events, Sunday’s vaccination site — North Penn High School — allowed organizers to scale up to size and vaccinate more people in one day than their previous efforts combined.

In total, 3,000 vaccines were distributed over a 12-hour period.

“It was incredible,” said Amin. “We never had a clinic that was 3,000 people before, but once we knew we had a site as large as North Penn High School, we knew we could do it.”

In the days and weeks leading up to the event, Amin began working with state Rep. Steve Malagari and North Penn School Board Director Jonathan Kassa to see if the high school could be secured and readied as a mass-vaccination site. The trio then enlisted the help of their colleagues, as well as an army of more than 250 volunteers, and the end result was a successful distribution event and a desire to do it again.

“Having this site, we’ll definitely get more vaccines,” said Amin. “So, we’re planning on using this as a distribution site going forward.”

“With the amount of people that came through, it’s an amazing feat to see,” said Malagari. “I asked some people who got vaccinated: ‘How does it feel?’ and they were delighted, relieved, and it was a weight lifted off their shoulders. For me, it was eye-opening and uplifting to see, and I especially thank the volunteers with the Skippack Pharmacy community for spending their time getting our community vaccinated. There’s more work to do, but we’re slowly approaching the possibility of normalcy in the coming months.”

For Kassa, who serves as North Penn’s Facilities and Operations Committee Chairman, it was an opportunity to roll up his sleeves, coordinate the logistics and show the area what North Penn School District can accomplish.

“Today is a day of pride for the entire North Penn community,” said Kassa. “To be able to host such a large vaccination is demonstration of the strength of public-private partnerships and especially the creative leadership of Dr. Dietrich, his team and the tireless efforts of security and custodial staff who, without their dedication, this just isn't possible.”

“Touring the high school today and witnessing the care, effort and gratitude of all involved, it reinforces the importance of local government in people's lives and the ability to get things done,” Kassa said. “Today is another example that NPSD is a backbone of our community, this is why we need to ensure that NPHS, as an integral community center paid for by taxpayers, remains accessible and vital to all of North Penn's constituents.”

A Familiar Return

For both Amin and Malagari, Sunday’s event was a return home of sorts, as both men are graduates of North Penn High School.

As Amin walked the halls, he said he passed by one of his old classrooms — the classroom he was in when terrorists struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon during the 9/11 attacks.

“When I was in 10^th grade, 9-11 occurred and we were watching in that classroom,” said Amin. “I remember looking out the window thinking of ways to help, but we were young, we were students, and we couldn’t do anything except pray.”

Looking out the window on Sunday, Amin stated that no longer being a student, his role as a man is to help and serve his community — especially in trying times.

“COVID-19 may not be 9-11, but it is attacking America — all of America, and when I looked out that same window on Sunday, I felt fortunate to be in a position to be able to help,” Amin said.

Heaping Praise

While Amin was front and center of the event in his now infamous Superman costume, he was quick to heap praise towards his staff and students, the volunteers who spent their time on site, members of the Towamencin Township Police Department and Volunteer Medical Service Corps for securing the site and district staff for maintaining the building throughout the event.

“It takes a village to make something like this work,” said Amin. “Our volunteers came from all over the county, and they worked tirelessly to help. Many of them asked for additional responsibilities once their shifts were finished, and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

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