COVID-19 vaccines have been introduced to Jasper County.
Jasper General Hospital and Nursing Home last week was among some of the first healthcare facilities in the state to receive vaccines for the coronavirus that has wreaked havoc on the county, state, and country since the beginning of the year, and abroad since some time before that.
Jasper General Nursing Home Administrator Becky Ulmer confirmed Tuesday afternoon the facility had received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for staff and healthcare workers at the facility, which was supplied and administered by the Mississippi State Department of Health at no cost. Vaccines began being given last week on a voluntary basis throughout the staff and workers at the facility, and are still ongoing.
Ulmer is excited about the arrival of the Moderna vaccine that has been emergency authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the past weeks, and she explained those at the facility who have voluntarily taken the vaccine have experienced no adverse symptoms from it.
According to the FDA, the most commonly reported side effects of Moderna include pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes in the same arm as the injection, nausea and vomiting, and fever.
“We wish we could have gotten them (vaccines) earlier, but we were definitely proud to receive them last week so that hopefully our residents can get back to a normal way of living and seeing their families,” Ulmer explained.
Even though the residents of the facility have not yet in person been presented a vaccine, Ulmer said she expects a Pfizer brand COVID-19 vaccine to be available for the residents of the nursing home, on a voluntary basis, in the coming weeks. She explained Pfizer’s vaccine will be administered through a state contract with Walgreens pharmacy at no cost to the facility or residents.
According to a December 18, 2020, press release by Walgreens, its pharmacy team members began supplying Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to approximately 800 long-term care facilities across 12 states days before Christmas, including many in rural and urban areas. The company has said it will continue to expand vaccinations to nearly 3 million residents and staff at 35,000 long-term care facilities through contracts as states finalize their distribution plans and receive vaccine allocations.
“Walgreens is very proud to be a part of this historic milestone to begin administering Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to our most vulnerable populations,” stated Walgreens President John Standley in the release. “With more than a decade of experience administering various vaccines, we have the deep expertise to support this unprecedented effort to allow our nation to emerge from this pandemic.”
Since the virus came into the state, Jasper General has been on lockdown for 292 days. Although the facility has prevented any major COVID-19 outbreaks, some residents and employees have been affected by the virus, especially during the more recent months.
Ulmer has relayed pertinent information about the COVID-19 situation at the facility for resident family members and others near weekly on her Facebook page since the pandemic began.
Tuesday evening she mentioned via Facebook, “All residents in affected unit remain negative with testing today. Four residents will be able to return to NH (nursing home) unit tomorrow. All staff that were tested today were negative. No recent NH employee positives. MS Department of Health visited today for a COVID Infection Control Survey. No citations or deficiencies. Staff praised for efforts and the length of time that virus was prevented in the NH. NH staff will continue to be tested twice a week due the positivity rate of Jasper County. Please adhere to the CDC guidelines. This is not a hoax. Some have minor symptoms and others deteriorate rapidly and die. That is the nature of a virus. Very unpredictable. Our residents long to see their loved ones up close and with a hug. Please help them receive this ‘gift.’ Wear a mask, distance from others, and hand hygiene. I have experienced no adverse affects from the vaccination. Please consider getting one. May God Bless All.”