While rolling up his sleeve to receive his first dose of Modner COVID-19 vaccine, veteran affairs press secretary Terrence Hayes said he was excited to get a chance that would reduce the likelihood of him getting the coronavirus from bringing his family home.
“My wife is a very asthmatic person, so I should definitely take every precaution to ensure she stays healthy,” Hayes said shortly after receiving the vaccine at VA headquarters in Washington DC.
Hayes, a retired master sergeant, received one of a million doses the VA handed out as of Tuesday. According to the department, 582,000 first doses and 44,000 second doses of the Moderna or Pfizer BioNTech vaccine were delivered to veterans, while more than 401,000 doses were given to VA employees.
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An additional 1,200 were reportedly handed over to staff from other federal agencies working with the VA.
Across the U.S., about 32 million vaccine shots were administered on February 1, according to New York Times compilations. The VA milestone of VA places it ahead of states like North Carolina, New Jersey and Washington; it administered more vaccine doses than the states of Oregon and Louisiana combined. Only eight U.S. states have administered more vaccine doses so far. On Tuesday, the state of Illinois, which according to the latest census has a population of 12.67 million, also administered its millionth vaccine dose.
According to the Times, the Department of Defense has delivered about 500,000 vaccine shots to date.
Dr. Richard Stone, who served as secretary of health for the Veterans Health Administration, was among a dozen clinicians at the VA’s headquarters in Washington, DC, and this week administered the vaccine to essential workers in the building.
Stone, a retired doctor in the military, said he was pleased with the progress with the nationwide delivery through the system, adding that the department had its weekly allocation of more than 108,000 doses “within three to four days” “apply.
The VA has the capacity to administer 600,000 doses per week.
“We have built a system that is ready to accommodate much larger quantities as the manufacturers go up,” he said.
According to Stone, the vaccination rate among VA employees is between 80% and 83% – much higher than the 60% percentage reported among the general U.S. population in December, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.
One of the reasons why employees in VA are eager to get the vaccine, according to him, is that the department has been ‘hit very hard’.
“We do healthcare and care for some pretty sick patients. The willingness to take the vaccine was overwhelming,” Stone said.
Since the outbreak began, more than 209,000 VA patients have been diagnosed with COVID-19. About 9,200 died, including 1,800 in January alone – the deadliest month so far for VA patients, surpassing the record of about 1,700 people in December.
VA employees also died from the virus: 121 died on Tuesday.
The VA began vaccinating late last year on December 14 with Margaret Klessens, 96, a World War II veteran living in a VA center at Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts.
The VA delivers vaccines at more than 215 sites across the country, with plans to expand to additional sites as the vaccine supply increases.
But officials said that until manufacturers increase delivery – and new vaccinations are available, likely in March – “many short-term entities may not have any vaccines.”
In addition to announcing the millionth vaccine milestone, VA officials have also begun posting data on the number of veterans receiving a COVID-19 vaccine per facility – data that will be updated daily, according to acting VA secretary Dat Tran.
At the end of January, the VA was in Phase 1B for administering COVID-19 vaccinations to veterans, including those aged 75 or over, serving as essential workers, having an underlying health condition requiring chemotherapy or dialysis, or recipients of organ transplants.
Stone said the vaccine is safe for the vulnerable patient population in the VA: the department has had adverse reactions in less than 30 patients who received the vaccine – mainly fainting or a fast heartbeat, and no hospitalizations.
The VA has contacted veterans who are eligible for vaccination to schedule appointments; those who want additional information can go to the VA COVID-19 vaccine website, visit the website of their local facility or contact their doctor.
Hayes received the vaccine because he is considered an essential worker who regularly deals with the public. He said he hopes his decision to get the vaccine will influence others, including members of his own family.
‘My family in the south is very reluctant to take the vaccine for various reasons that are legal, so I wanted to help them understand that it is best to get the vaccine – not just to protect themselves. , but also to protect their family and anyone. they come in contact with, ‘he said.
– Patricia Kime can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.
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Originally published