The Salem VA Health Care System will begin COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Dec. 23.
“Salem is eager to offer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and our Veteran residents of our Community Living Center,” said Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, Salem’s chief of pharmacy. “Receiving the vaccine is like having hope delivered. As vaccine supplies increase, our ultimate goal is to offer COVID-19 vaccination to all veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated.”
Salem is one of 113 VA Medical Centers across the country to receive the first limited supply of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Sites were identified based on need for the vaccine according to CDC’s 1A prioritization and capacity to store the vaccine at -20◦C.
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was 94 percent effective in clinical trials in preventing COVID-19. The vaccine is administered in two doses, 28 days apart. The side effects appear similar to those of other vaccines and are short-lived.
Thirty-seven medical centers began offering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and Veterans Dec 14. Fifteen additional VA facilities will receive an allocation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine the week of December 21.
As vaccines become available for more groups of veterans, VA care teams will reach out to eligible veterans to schedule vaccinations. There is no need to preregister or come to a facility to sign up.
Veterans can get up-to-date information on VA’s VA COVID-19 vaccine webpage, which launched on Dec. 11, and sign up to receive regular updates on the vaccine on the VA’s Stay Informed page.
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Chris Graham
