Marion VA begins vaccinating health care workers and some veterans
The Marion VA Medical Center began COVID-19 vaccinations on Wednesday using the Moderna vaccine.
R. Todd Wright, the VA's public information officer, said the medical center will initially give the vaccine to health care staff, and veterans at the Living Center and those who are inpatient rehabilitation residents.
"Receiving the vaccine is like having hope delivered," Wright said. "As vaccine supplies increase, our ultimate goal is to offer COVID-19 vaccination to all veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated."
The Marion VA is one of 113 VA Medical Centers across the country to receive the first limited supply of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Sites were identified based on need for the vaccine according to CDC's 1A prioritization, and those facilities that have the capacity to store the vaccine at -20°C.
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was 94 percent effective in clinical trials in preventing COVID-19 disease. The vaccine is administered in two doses, 28 days apart.
The side effects appear similar to those of other vaccines and are short-lived.
On Dec. 14, 37 medical centers began offering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and veterans. Fifteen additional VA facilities got an allocation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week.
Even after receiving COVID-19 vaccination, employees and veterans are told to continue wearing face coverings, practice physical distancing and to wash their hands often.
As vaccines become available for more groups of veterans, VA care teams will reach out to eligible veterans to schedule vaccinations. There is no need to preregister or come to a facility to sign up.
Veterans can get up-to-date information on VA's VA COVID-19 vaccine webpage, which launched on Dec. 11, 2020, and sign up to receive regular updates on the vaccine on the VA's Stay Informed page.
For more information, contact R. Todd Wright, public affairs officer, at richard.wright9@va.gov or (618) 694-6717.