Reading Hospital vaccinates 180 workers
Reading Hospital vaccinates 180 workers
Vaccinations in Berks County continued Dec. 21 as Reading Hospital administered its first doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
One hundred eighty health care workers were the first to be inoculated at the hospital with the vaccine developed by Pfizer.
“I was really both honored and thrilled to receive one of the first doses this morning,” said Dr. Debra Powell, chief of the division of infectious disease and medical director of infection prevention at Reading Hospital.
“I think it was a really great opportunity,” she said, “and it’s really the best way for us to decrease the infection and curtail this pandemic.”
Joining Powell as one of the first to receive the vaccine at the hospital was KJ Boston, a patient care assistant.
“I just feel honored,” he said. “Me being a Black man and seeing the statistics of who is being affected by the coronavirus, I feel like me being one of the first people to get the vaccine in the area will do good for messaging for the Reading demographic to encourage others to get their vaccine (when available).”
Last week, 87 Pennsylvania hospitals received doses of the vaccine across 66 counties. Berks County hospitals, Reading Hospital and Penn State Health St. Joseph, each received their shipment of 975 doses Thursday afternoon. Penn State Health St. Joseph began vaccinations Friday.
‘A sign of relief’
The distribution and administration of the vaccine is a sign of hope for health care workers who have been on the front lines of the pandemic since early this year.
“I feel like getting to the point of vaccination is kind of like the light at the end of the tunnel,” Boston said. “It’s been a pretty long nine months. It’s a sign of relief that (the pandemic) should be coming to an end.”
Powell agreed with Boston. “I feel very hopeful,” she said. “This is our ticket out of this. We have to get people vaccinated to develop immunity in the population so this pandemic will eventually stop.”
During a briefing early Monday afternoon, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said at least 17,700 health care workers had received the first dose of the vaccine since hospitals received their first shipments throughout last week.
She said an additional 30,225 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are anticipated to go out to health care facilities this week as well as 198,000 doses of the second COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna.
A list of which health care facilities would be receiving shipments was unavailable Monday afternoon.
Levine added that onsite COVID-19 vaccination services for residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities would begin next week across the state through the federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens. Levine said residents and staff will be receiving the Pfizer vaccine.
Both vaccines require two doses with the second administered three to four weeks after the first. Pfizer requires ultra cold temperatures for storage while Moderna can be stored at a regular freezer temperature.
“I want to encourage everybody to get the vaccine when it’s available for them,” Powell said. “I think we’ve all been affected in some way by this pandemic and by getting this vaccine we’ll develop immunity in the population.”
Powell and Boston stressed the two currently available vaccines are safe and effective. They added that people should not be afraid to get the vaccines.
“Me, being a public health major, I was able to follow and track the vaccine process on my own,” Boston said. “Looking through the research, it’s all sound.”
Reading Hospital’s vaccine distribution plan follows the recommended guidance from the state Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Under the three-phase plan, health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities are the first to receive doses. Reading Hospital and the other Tower Health hospitals are prioritizing those front line staff in direct contact with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients.
The general public is in Phase 3. “It will still be some months before manufacturers produce enough vaccine to immunize the general public,” Levine said during Monday’s briefing. “That means that mitigation is more important than ever. We still need to wear a mask. We still need to wash our hands. We still need to social distance.”