3 months ago Share Awaiting FDA approval of Moderna vaccine as Pfizer vaccinations continue; plans for distribution in Volusia County announced.
by: Central Florida Division of AdventHealth
Capping a fast-moving and historic week in medical history, AdventHealth leaders shared optimism, celebrated triumphs, and continued their focus on administering vaccines to help conquer COVID-19.
“This has been a historic week for all of us,” said Dr. Vincent Hsu, epidemiologist and AdventHealth’s infection control officer. “We look forward to a time when our lives can return to as normal as possible.”
After receiving its first shipment of Pfizer vaccines earlier in the week, AdventHealth began an organized process of inoculating frontline health workers at its AdventHealth Orlando and Celebration locations. That effort will now expand to other parts of Central Florida.
LAKELAND AdventHealth leaders are celebrating what they have called a milestone week as thousands of frontline health care workers have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Approximately 3,400 AdventHealth employees in Central Florida were injected with the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine Wednesday and Thursday, with hundreds more expected to receive it in the days ahead.
Dr. Vincent Hsu, AdventHealth s infection control officer, was among the first to receive Pfizer s vaccine on Wednesday. Hsu said he had a sore shoulder at the injection site, but hasn t had any other side effects. This vaccine is safe, and it s our way out of the pandemic, he said. We are anxiously waiting and working for the time when it will be available to the general public and encourage everyone to get it once it becomes available.
Next week, AdventHealth Daytona Beach and Halifax Health Medical Center will receive the first rounds of coronavirus vaccines in Volusia County.
And Ormond in the Pines is expected to be one of the first long-term care facilities in the nation to receive the coronavirus vaccine in the coming weeks.
Margaret Crossman, chief medical officer for Halifax Health, said during the Volusia County meeting Friday morning that having an effective vaccine so quickly is unprecedented. To have vaccines already available to us in less than a year after this pandemic started is truly, truly a miracle, Crossman said. We’ve not seen anything like this before.
Vaccinations at AdventHealth facilities this week. (AdventHealth)
Capping a fast-moving and historic week in medical history, AdventHealth leaders shared optimism, celebrated triumphs, and continued their focus on administering vaccines to help conquer Covid-19.
“This has been a historic week for all of us,” said Dr. Vincent Hsu, epidemiologist and AdventHealth’s infection control officer. “We look forward to a time when our lives can return to as normal as possible.”
After receiving its first shipment of Pfizer vaccines earlier in the week, AdventHealth began an organized process of inoculating frontline health workers at its AdventHealth Orlando and Celebration locations. That effort will now expand to other parts of Central Florida.
Friday, December 18, 2020 by Danielle Prieur (WMFE)
Photo: Vladimir Fedotov
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AdventHealth will open more COVID-19 vaccination sites for frontline healthcare workers at their Daytona Beach campus on Monday.
About 1,600 AdventHealth doctors and nurses were vaccinated on Wednesday with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, another 1,800 on Thursday at the hospital’s Orlando and Celebration campuses.
Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Steven Smith says all frontline staff in the seven county Central Florida region are eligible to receive a vaccine.