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Photo: Employees at the Baxter Regional Medical Center await the first COVID-19 vaccinations in Baxter County on Thursday morning.
Six frontline health workers from the Baxter Regional Medical Center (BRMC) were the first in the county to receive Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday morning on the hospital campus.
Jackie Spurling, Julie Driesbaugh, Kayla Killian, Ralph Van Dyke, Dr Brian Malte and Dr Raymond Bandy have received the first round of vaccinations, as the BRMC begins administering 975 doses to its staff. Officials hope to be able to immunize all staff with the first two shipments received.
On Thursday began phase 1 of vaccinations at the BRMC, with providers, ICU, emergency and COVID-19 staff to receive their vaccines first. Starting Friday, all other departments will begin receiving vaccines, with the 975 doses due to be administered by Monday.
Infection Prevention Specialist Stephanie Free explains the employee selection process.
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Vaccines are optional for employees, but President and CEO Ron Peterson believes demand will be high.
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Jonny Harvey, a member of the COVID-19 task force, explains the tracking process for those who receive the vaccine.
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Vaccinations for healthcare workers began across the country this week, with few side effects reported. Infectious disease specialist Dr Raymond Bandy says the benefits outweigh any risk. Clinical studies have shown that the vaccine has an efficacy rate of around 94%.
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To complete the vaccination process, recipients will receive a second dose, three weeks after receiving their initial injection. It will take another two weeks for the body to fully process the vaccine and develop full protection. Members of the task force say that even after employees have completed the entire vaccination process, they will still need to wear a mask, wash their hands often and practice social distancing.
Once front-line healthcare workers are vaccinated, the second priority group is residents and workers in long-term care facilities. These vaccinations will be state-led, according to Peterson.
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Baxter Regional is ready to help with the process if needed, says Shannon Nachtigal, a member of the task force.
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Currently, Baxter Regional is treating 24 patients with COVID-19, including six in intensive care and four on ventilators. The maximum number of patients at a time was 32, which happened the day before Thanksgiving.
BRMC also expects to receive the Moderna vaccine after receiving approval for emergency use by the Food & Drug Administration.
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