Health experts saying herd immunity can be achieved if between 70 to 85 percent of the U.S population receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The process that's happening at MVHS is a big part of reaching that goal.
What is a place for creating nurses is now also a place for creating Immunity.
Sunday evening.
The light at the end of this pandemic tunnel may be getting brighter as vaccinations for first responders and healthcare workers continue across the area.
Today m-v-h-s in utica held a vaccination clinic for those eligible to receive the vaccine.
M-v-h-s gave our own brent kearney an inside look at the process.
He now joins us live in the studio.
Brent, good evening.
Good evening.
Health experts say we need to vaccinate between 70 and 85 percent of the population to achieve herd immunity and try and return to a sense of normalcy...and this process here in utica...is a big part of it.
What was at one point a place that created nurses now creates immunity.
The entire second floor of the st elizabeth's college of nursin has been transformed into a covid vaccination clinic.
A clinic that's only open to first responders and health care workers.
Matthew young is one of the people in charge of making sure things run smoothly he walked me through what people can expect when they walk through the door.
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None .
None "folks are going to come around back here for registration, you can see people are already starting to line up for us."
Once they register, the people lined up will be receiving moderna's vaccine.
Young says with each vaccination we get closer to getting back to normal.
"we're finally getting to the point where we're able to move beyond what we've been dealing with and hopefully get back to some sort of new normal within the healthcare system and within the community."
Once you get into the vaccination room, if you're lucky, youll get sonia garcia.
"it feels good to see how many people wanna get vaccinated and its just great to see we are coming together amd work together to try and vaccinate everybody, so we can get back to normal."
Sonia says they vaccinate hundreds of people a day.
But some of them coming in, she says are a little nervous.
"some people come in and they're scared and you just want to be there and let them know its going to be ok."
Ismal abraham is a nurse at st luke's that about to recieve his first dose.
"i work in the hospital so i have to protect them, my loved ones, my colleagues where i work, so this is about protecting them."
Once he's vaccinated, he'll join the rest of the group in a recovery room, where a doctor will monitor them for 30 minutes.
It's really great to be a part of this history part of what's making our community safer and part of what's making our healthcare system safer.
It's been a really great privilege and honor.
And to those who are skeptical about getting the vaccine.
"with all of the vaccines that we've had throughout the years, it's had to start with one person and its already started lets keep it going."> those eligible for a vaccine need to make an appointment.
The vaccine will gradually be made available to the public by phases, according to the cdc.
The next phase will prioritize those 75 and older and front line workers.....gary.... taking a look at the coronavirus numbers county by county.
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