On The Front Lines
WGH receives COVID-19 vaccines
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The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Warren.
Warren General Hospital received a shipment Monday afternoon and some hospital personnel received their first-round inoculations right away.
"Warren General received its allotment from the state this afternoon," Chief Nursing Officer Joe Akif said. "It received the full allotment of Moderna vaccines."
The vaccines were not administered to all front-line workers immediately.
"There was a small round of inoculations on direct front-line providers to identify logistics, process-related, or reporting challenges this afternoon," Akif said. "This process comes with extensive regulatory reporting requirements."
"The hospital had surveyed employees previously to schedule inoculations, so we will now embark on inoculating the staff on a larger scale," he said. "The hospital will begin inoculating hospital staff as identified by CDC recommendations and state guidelines."
Vaccines for the general public are probably still months away.
"This is Phase 1 of community inoculations," Akif said. "There are two additional phases with Phase 3 being the general public. It has been suggested by the state that this round may be in late spring, early summer."
Those who received their first shots on Monday are not protected. The vaccine is delivered in two doses.
"These vaccines are for the first shot of a two-shot series," Akif said. "The state will replenish vaccines as they are used."