Randolph sees first vaccinations
Submitted photos Dr. Phil Chua, DMC hospitalist, was the first person in Randolph County to receive the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday morning.
Gov. Jim Justice receives a Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Monday evening during a video livestream.
Submitted photos Dr. Phil Chua, DMC hospitalist, was the first person in Randolph County to receive the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday morning.
Gov. Jim Justice receives a Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Monday evening during a video livestream.
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ELKINS -- Davis Medical Center doctors and nurses received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Randolph County Tuesday morning.
Dr. Phil Chua was the first person in Randolph County to receive the vaccine, which arrived in Randolph County Monday afternoon, officials said. Fourteen vials, containing 70 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, will be administered this week as part of DMC's Phase 1.
"I'm excited. I'm excited to be part of furthering a data set to show this is a safe and effective vaccine," Chua, the DMC hospitalist, said Tuesday.
Dr. Anne Banfield, FACOG, also was vaccinated early Tuesday morning.
"I join my physician colleagues across the state in support of the vaccine," Banfield, the director of Women's Services at DMC, said. "It's our best hope in the fight against this virus. The vaccine protects our healthcare workers, our patients and those at risk of COVID illness. Everyone must do their part. The vaccine won't be available to the public until March, 2021, so it's critical that people continue wearing masks and social distancing."
"I trust the science," said DMC Emergency Department physician Dr. John Logar. "I've followed the science, good science, and it says it's OK so why would I not get in line?"
DMC vaccinated "physicians and front line nurses" Tuesday morning, a hospital press release states.
"We are qualifying the distribution of the vaccine based on our vulnerable employees - those on the front line," said Infection Control Director Whitney Mayle, R.N. "Our physicians, emergency department and nursing unit staff are in high risk areas, and have daily exposure to COVID patients. That's why they are the first to receive the vaccine."
The vaccine is stored at minus-80 degrees C, and requires a specialized freezer. Davis Medical Center serves as the "hub" for the vaccines allotted to other DHS facilities, Broaddus Hospital and Webster County Memorial Hospital.
"Each step of vaccination is carefully documented using the CDC Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS)," the DMC press release states. "The online tool manages vaccine administration from the time it arrives at distribution site, to when it is administered to the individual. The vaccine is a two-part injection, with part two administered between 17 and 21 days after initial injection."
The state's first vaccinations took place as the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in West Virginia pushed past 1,000 with the announcement Tuesday of a record 34 deaths.
Health officials said the deaths broke the one-day mark of 31 deaths reported last Wednesday.
At least 1,012 people in West Virginia have died from the virus since the pandemic began. The number of deaths has more than doubled since early November, along with virus-related hospitalizations.
The number of virus patients in hospitals reached 774 as of Monday. That's up 124, or 19%, in the past week alone. That includes a record 207 patients in hospital intensive care units, up from 180 a week earlier.
There are more than 21,000 active cases of the virus in the state.
The state began administering a vaccine for the virus on Monday, focusing on health care workers and people in long-term care centers. Gov. Jim Justice and other top state officials received the vaccine as well.
West Virginia officials say they wanted to demonstrate their confidence in the vaccine, but many other governors are waiting for health care workers, patients and emergency responders first.