Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Florida Department of Health in Jefferson County (FDOH-Jefferson) now has the Moderna vaccine and has begun vaccinating frontline healthcare workers and individuals ages 65 and older.
Pam Gilleland-Beck, public information officer for the FDOH-Jefferson, reports that the department received 400 doses of the Moderna vaccine earlier in the week and began its vaccination program on Wednesday, Dec. 30, with the very first shots given to EMS employees.
She said that the vaccine, which must be administered in two shots spaced 28 days apart, has a greater than 94 percent effective rate against the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.
Kim Allbritton, FDOH-Jefferson administrator, sees a glimmer of hope in the vaccine’s long-awaited arrival.
“This vaccine is our light at the end of the tunnel for this global pandemic,” Allbritton said.
She added a caveat, however.
“How successful we are in vaccinating our residents will determine how many unnecessary deaths we can avoid,” she said.
She urged that everyone who was eligible to receive the vaccine do so, for their own sake and that of the community.
“I am asking that you join me in helping spread the word and encourage your fellow residents to take the vaccine,” Allbritton said. “We can do this together.”
Gilleland-Beck added that the vaccine provided an extra layer of protection to its recipients, their coworkers, family members and the community in general, along with the mask wearing and social distancing
“Seventy-five percent of the population needs to acquire immunity to the virus in order to significantly reduce transmission,” Gilleland-Beck said. “If you contract COVID-19, you risk spreading it to loved ones who may get very sick. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is a safer choice.”
Per the Governor’s Executive Order 202-315, which he issued on Wednesday, Dec. 23, the department is instructed to use a tier approach to the initial phase of the vaccinations.
Meaning that in this first phase, the department will focus on residents and staff at long-term care facilities, persons 65 years of age and older, and healthcare personnel who have direct contact with patients.
Gilleland-Beck said that persons age 65 and older interested in getting the vaccine need to complete and return a signed consent form to the health department.
The form, she said, is available online at JeffersonCHD@flhealth.gov. Or, if individuals prefer, she said, they can obtain printed copies of the form at the health department, the R. J. Bailar Public Library or the Jefferson Senior Citizens Center.
Residents can also, she said, have the form mailed or emailed to them by calling the health department’s COVID hotline and making a request.
“Residents can then return the signed form by scanning and emailing it to JeffersonCHD@flhealth.gov or by mailing it to the health department or hand-delivering it,” Gilleland-Beck said.
The health department is located at 1255 West Washington St. It can be reached by phone at (850) 342-0170.
Gilleland-Beck said that once the forms are received, nursing staff will contact the residents in the order that the forms are received and schedule the vaccination appointments.
She said that once the first shot is administered, nursing personnel will work with the patients to establish a reminder system for the second shot.
She added that the FDOH-Jefferson was working with community partners such as the Emergency Operations Center, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Monticello Police Department and private providers to execute the phase 1 vaccination effort.
“After this initial phase, we will be setting up drive-through vaccination events for all residents,” Gilleland-Beck said. “Please be patient with us as we implement phase one of the Governor’s Executive Order. We will accommodate residents under age 65 as soon as we can.”
Meanwhile, CVS also has contracted with the state to provide vaccinations to residents and staff at long-term care facilities.
Hospitals, meanwhile, will be able to continue vaccinating any person whom they deem to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19, per the executive order.
Per the Governor’s Office, the distribution of the vaccine to county health departments followed the state receiving additional doses of the vaccine, as well as vaccines remaining after the initial distribution to hospitals.
“Over the past two weeks, more than 170 hospitals across the state have received doses of the COVID-19 vaccines,” stated the press release accompanying Executive Order 202-315. “And, as part of their allocation, hospitals received enough doses to vaccinate their entire frontline health-care staff and have vaccines remaining.”