CARBONDALE (WSIL)--The COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed throughout Region 5, with SIH receiving its first shipment of the vaccine Wednesday afternoon.
SIH Receives First Shipment of Vaccine
SIH officials said receiving the vaccine is like getting an early Christmas present and that with the vaccine, the health care workers on the front lines of COVID-19 feel collective relief going forward.
The vaccine arrived Wednesday afternoon and will be distributed based on tiers.
The first tier will be health care workers most at risk, with lower tiers getting next priority.
The vaccine has two doses that must be given 21 days apart.
And even though COVID-19 is still very prevalent, many health care workers are excited at what the vaccine means for fighting the virus.
"The reality is setting in. The vaccine is really here. So I think you see and feel the collective relief from our staff and physicians going forward. For everyone in health care, this may be considered an early Christmas or light at the end of the tunnel. I think everybody is very excited about moving the vaccines and treatments forward," said SIH Chief Operating Officer Bart Milstead.
The first vaccines will be given out Thursday morning.
How the Vaccine Effects You
In order to ease some concerns, doctors at SIH explain what the vaccine does and how it effective it is.
Dr. Kasey Nelson from SIH was able to break down some important information regarding the new COVID-19 vaccine.
Before anyone at SIH receives the vaccine, Nelson said the vaccine was tested on 43,000 people before being approved.
After being tested, the vaccine was found to be 94% effective, which is more effective than many other vaccines.
Nelson also said getting the vaccine, especially the second round, has a possibility of getting mild symptoms.
And according to Nelson, if you experience these mild symptoms, that is a good thing. It means your immune system is doing its job.
But Nelson stresses this vaccine does not give you the virus.
"This vaccine is not producing COVID. But it's allowing you to create an immune response to protect yourself in case you do get exposed to COVID," said Nelson.
Health care workers are the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but as of right now, there is no clear answer as to when the vaccine will be made available to the general public.
SIH Update
Despite the news of the vaccine arriving, there are still many people in the SIH system admitted with COVID-19.
Last week, there was a slight downward trend with 41 patients in the hospital with COVID-19.
There are also 140 staff members who are currently out compared to the 200 staffer members out the week prior.
