GREENVILLE — The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Greenville. Staff at Wayne HealthCare were the first to receive the vaccination last Thursday morning.
The first small shipment of vaccines in Greenville comes as a part of Phase 1A of the vaccine distribution from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). Phase 1A is focused primarily on, “high-risk healthcare providers and residents of congregate care facilities,” according to information provided by the ODH. The next phase of vaccinations, hopefully coming in the very near future, will focus on adults who are 65 years of age or older, those with developmental disabilities such as sickle cell or down syndrome, and all adults working in school buildings.
The Moderna vaccine is administered in a two-dose series, with the second dose coming 28 days after the first. According to the FDA, protections against the virus begin to take effect shortly after receiving the first dose.
Dr. Stephanie Buchanan, a surgeon at Wayne, was the first to receive the vaccine in Greenville. Along with Dr. Buchanan, a number of other surgeons, registered nurses, and hospital staff received the vaccine. Dr. Buchanan, alongside her colleague Dr. Alisha Reiss, are both advocates for receiving the vaccine as soon as you are able. Buchanan and Reiss stated that the vaccine will enable them to better protect their patients, their families and themselves — allowing them to continue to excel at the important work they do.
“I think there is a lot of research and science that has went into this vaccine,” said Dr. Reiss. “While it has felt rushed from the public standpoint, this type of vaccine has had almost 20 years of research, dating back to studies conducted on SARS-CoV-2. It has been rushed, if you will, for this specific Coronavirus, however, it has had lots of research and data, and we’ve had tons of side-effect profiles for people who have already received the vaccine.”
Reiss also touched on how important it is for the general public to receive the vaccine, adding that she believes this is the light at the end of the tunnel.
“You’re starting to see hope, you’re starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, we might have a way out of this pandemic,” Reiss concluded, adding, “I wouldn’t recommend it to patients and people in the community if I didn’t think it was safe.”
This shipment of vaccines comes courtesy of the Darke County General Health District, which is responsible for distributing vaccines from the state. Doses were allotted to Wayne HealthCare in accordance with federal and state recommendations.
Despite this news, health experts are recommending that the general public still follow the necessary COVID-19 guidelines to keep everyone safe.
