Local frontline works receive, administer first doses of COVID-19 vaccine

By ZEINAB NAJM

Times-Herald Newspapers 

Beaumont hospitals in Taylor and Trenton began rolling out COVID-19 vaccines to thousands of frontline workers within the Beaumont Health system.

The Pfizer vaccine arrived to hospitals Dec. 15. As the state’s largest hospital system, Beaumont Health is aiming to have its entire staff of 38,000 employees vaccinated within four to six weeks.

Receiving the vaccine is not mandated for employees, so health care workers have the option to decline. 

The health care workers first in line for the vaccine were in the 1A high priority group, meaning they had direct or indirect exposure to patients with COVID-19 or infections materials.

Trenton Beaumont Internal Dr. Jonathan Lovy was one of the first to receive the vaccine.

Initially, 975 doses of the vaccine were delivered to the health system  All members in the first group will receive their second dose in 21 days when another shipment arrives.

In Wayne County, almost 2,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived this week with front-line health workers beginning to receive doses Dec. 18.

Updates to residents on how and when they can get their vaccine as more doses become available will be provided as they happen. 

The vaccine was produced and distributed from Pfizer’s facility in Portage, near Kalamazoo.

Anyone who receives their first dose of the vaccine then has to get a second vaccine dose 21 days later, injected in the deltoid muscle — the main muscle of the shoulder.

So far, the vaccine can be administered to those 16 years and older, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website. 

Within the coming weeks, more vaccines will be delivered to more front line workers and other groups who are high risk. No timeline has been released on when the vaccine will be available to the general public.

(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected])