Hospital Prepares For Additional Vaccine Doses

Breken Terry spoke with Helen Keller Hospital about its preparation for a new shipment of Pfizer vaccines.

Need more vaccine supply to keep up with the demand.

Helen keller hosptial is preparing for a new shipment of the pfizer vaccine this week.

Waay31's breken terry spoke with the hospital about its preperations and how they plan to tackle the whole new group of people who can now get vaccinated.

Breken?

The president of helen keller hospital tells me they still have about 2,000 people on the waiting list for those 65 and up.

And they only expect that number to grow with group 1c now elligible for vaccinations.

Buchanan- the youngest age in these new categories is 16 so we are anxiously awaiting a new shipment, we think it will be here within days.

Under phase 1c, people 55 and up and people 16 and older with underlying health conditions can get the vaccine.

Helen keller hospital said it's trusting people who are elliglbe will sign up.

Buchanan- we want people who suffer from these aliments so there is no card to say your a smoker or a cancer patient so we are dependent on our community to be transparent about it and we have a lot of faith that won't be an issue.

Since the hospital hasn't had any new vaccines since january, they've had several people on their list get the vaccine at other places.

They encourage people to get on multiple waiting lists.

Buchanan- we've been able to reduce that list some by combing through it periodically to see if individuals who were initially listed and signed up have indeed received their first dose somewhere and if they have then we can move onto the next person.

Buchanan said more vaccines are coming to the shoals area but the fight against the virus isn't over.

Buchanan- we're cautiously optimistic.

We still have so many that haven't been able to get the vaccine.

We do have a transmission rate that is far less than what we had in january but still considerable so cautious is the term when we think about the future.

Buchanan said if they do get a vaccine shipment this week-- they will start scheduling appointments and set up a vaccine clinic.

Live in the shoals bt waay31.