There was reason for celebration at Hutchinson Health and Glencoe Regional Health hospitals Monday morning. Local health care workers received some of the nation's first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, marking a milestone in the fight against the pandemic.
“I’m optimistic that with the arrival of these vaccines, we’ll start to move past the worst of this pandemic,” said Jim Lyons, president and CEO of Hutchinson Health. “Our care teams are the first recipients, which offers great relief to our health care system. But more importantly, in the near future, they will be widely available.”
Both hospitals received doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which was given emergency use authorization Dec. 11 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine is administered as a two-dose series 17 to 21 days apart.
According to a press release from GRH, the COVID-19 vaccines have been tested in clinical trials and the results have been reviewed by 50 independent experts. To date, there have been no serious side effects. In both the Pfizer and Moderna trials, most side effects were reported as mild or moderate, and they occurred at a lower rate in older volunteers.
Research from clinical trials involving “tens of thousands” of participants have found that the two-dose vaccines coming to market are safe and close to 95% effective at preventing COVID-19, according to a press release from Hutchinson Heath.
“From everything I have been able to read and understand, the COVID-19 vaccine is both safe and effective,” said Dr. Kristine Knudten, chief medical Officer at GRH. “I was vaccinated today, along with a number of our employees. We are optimistic that the vaccine will be an important part of developing the immunity needed to help us all move past this pandemic.”
As prioritized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first phase of the vaccine is being given to health care workers and long-term care residents, and it most likely won’t be available to the broader public for months.
As of Dec. 21, McLeod County had reported 2,939 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 34 deaths. While the vaccine has arrived, residents are still urged to continue following infection prevention guidelines such as social distancing, masking, frequent hand-washing and other measures.
“Today is a milestone in the fight against COVID-19,” said Mandy Sturges, emergency services director at GRH. “Building herd immunity is an important step in moving beyond the pandemic. As we wait for the vaccine to become available to the public, we ask our community to continue taking prevention measures seriously. The end of the pandemic is in sight, and today’s historic moment marks that change toward brighter days.”
