Monday saw some of the first doctors in Starkville to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at OCH Regional Medical Center.
The hospital, which received a shipment of 100 doses of the vaccine on Monday, administered the vaccine based on a tier-system that prioritizes hospital staff most likely to come into contact with COVID-19 patients. The first staff member to receive the vaccine was Pulmonologist and Critical Care Specialist Dr. Harry Holliday, according to an OCH press release.
OCH Accreditation Manager Savannah Brown said staff from emergency medical services, the emergency room, anesthesia, nursing and respiratory therapy received the shot as well, the press release said. Hospital staff are monitoring the employees’ side effects, and so far, none have reported immediate serious side effects.
“I hope it’s the beginning of the end of the pandemic,” OCH Director of Pharmacy Stacy Weaver said. “That’s what we’re all hoping.”
In Columbus, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle was originally scheduled to receive 500 doses of the Moderna vaccine on Monday, but the shipment was delayed and will instead arrive on Wednesday, a hospital spokesperson told The Dispatch. Due to the vaccine’s arrival at a time when many staff will be home for the Christmas holiday, hospital staff will begin administering the vaccine in Columbus early next week.
The spokesperson said Baptist officials were not sure what caused the delay but that Mississippi Department of Health would send the doses by Wednesday.
The vaccine is currently only available for staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities who are most at risk of coming into contact with the virus, according to MSDH.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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