Hendry Regional Medical Center front line workers receive first dose of Moderna vaccine

Posted 12/31/20

Hendry Regional Medical Center received its first shipment of the new COVID-19 vaccine by Moderna on Dec. 30.

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Hendry Regional Medical Center front line workers receive first dose of Moderna vaccine

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CLEWISTON — Hendry Regional Medical Center received its first shipment of the new COVID-19 vaccine by Moderna on Dec. 30. Hospital employees lined up Wednesday to be the first in Hendry County to receive their first of two vaccine shots.

Among the first to receive the vaccine was Jean Celestin, HRMC Respiratory Therapist, who has been treating COVID positive patients from the beginning. “I choose to take the vaccine to protect myself from COVID-19 but even more importantly my friends, family, and our community,” stated Celestin.

New COVID-19 vaccines that have recently been approved are only available in limited quantities as production gets underway. The first to receive the vaccine are front-line healthcare workers who are caring for patients affected by the contagious disease. The elderly and those with certain high-risk health conditions will be the next groups to receive the vaccine. The vaccine is expected to become more widely available later in the year.

In its initial shipment HRMC received 300 doses, however it expects more to continue to arrive in the coming months. “We are excited to be able to offer our healthcare heroes the opportunity to be vaccinated; they have all been working diligently and selflessly for our community from day one of this pandemic,” stated Rebecca Springer, Chief Nursing Officer. “We look forward to being able to offer the vaccine to everyone in the community in the coming months when vaccines are widely available.”

HRMC treated the first of many community members who were seeking care due to their illness with COVID. Since that time, they have remained available to the community – fulfilling their mission to excel in quality, compassion, and innovation to make our community healthier.

In  HFlorida and across the nation, rates of COVID-19 infections have reached alarming levels in recent weeks. Hospitals have seen a flood of patients suffering serious illness.

Taking everyday steps to slow the spread of the virus continues to be of utmost importance. “Even with a vaccine roll out it is still important that individuals continue to practice proper hand washing, wearing a mask in public, and maintaining social distancing.” says Springer.

Taking steps to protect your health is often on people’s lists of new year’s resolutions, but this year it is more important than ever, especially since those with certain underlying health conditions are at high risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

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