Hospital begins COVID-19 vaccination of employees

Whitfield Regional Hospital received its Christmas present today as the first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived, and immediately the hospital began vaccinating its employees.

CEO/Administrator Doug Brewer said about 35 employees received the shot today, and more shots will be administered over the next day or two. Next Monday first responders and independent physician offices in the city will begin receiving vaccinations.

Emergency Room director Genelle Ward and ED physician Dr. Waqas Shuaib were the first two who were given the vaccine.

Brewer said there were no problems administering the vaccine. “It really went great.” Each person was kept under observation for about 15 minutes to make sure there were no adverse reactions to the shot.

He said nursing home residents in the area will be given the vaccines by CVS Pharmacy.

The vaccine comes at a time when the numbers of positive tests for the coronavirus are spiking in Marengo County. Since the first of December, they have reached 333, 22 percent of the 1,495 confirmed tests since the first recorded case March 26.

WRH has seen a surge in the number of severe cases. As of Monday the hospital had only one bed free for COVID patients in the Med Surge unit and none in the ICU, said Brewer.