On Dec. 18, Riverwood Healthcare Center received its first shipment of 100 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Per federal guidelines, Riverwood is offering the vaccine initially to its frontline healthcare workers.
âWe are happy to begin distributing the vaccine to our staff,â said Dr. David Taylor, chief medical officer. âThe side effects are minimal for most people. I received my vaccine shot on Dec. 18 and had a sore shoulder for 24 hours, felt a little fatigued the next day, but then felt fine. After the first shot, the vaccine is 50% effective in preventing COVID-19 and 95% effective within about a week after the second shot. So, it takes a little over a month to get full immunity from the vaccine.â Taylor added: âOur next shipment of vaccine, scheduled to arrive the last week in December, will include 55 doses that we will continue administering to those who have direct patient care duties or exposure. We look forward to the vaccine becoming widely available to all who want it in the months ahead.â