St. Elizabeth Healthcare was among the first hospitals and health care organizations in Kentucky to receive doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Dora Savani, an infectious disease specialist, was the first person to receive this vaccine at St. Elizabeth.
“This is a landmark moment in healthcare history, and we are grateful to help lead these vital efforts for the greater health of our community,” a St. Elizabeth social media post declared.
Seven more hospitals across Kentucky received the Pfizer vaccine, the first to be distributed in the U.S. as a weapon against the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 Americans, including more than 2,000 in Kentucky.
There have been social restrictions, either recommended or mandated, placed on businesses, educational institutions, events, and private gatherings in Kentucky and across the country since last March.
With the first distributions of the Pfizer vaccine taking place across the world, health professionals and the general public are able to see a potential end in sight. More vaccines are on the way, including one from Moderna, which is expected to be available soon.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines demonstrated 94 and 95 percent effectiveness against COVID-19, with minimal side effects.
Governor Andy Beshear called the vaccines a game-changed.
“It gives us a view and a vision and a certainty of victory against this virus. We’ve just got to stay vigilant between now and when everybody can get it,” Beshear said.
People are still getting the virus, and numbers began to escalate in the late summer through the fall, prompting Beshear to issue renewed restrictions on in-person schools, restaurants, and other sectors of the economy.
Restaurants resumed indoor dining this week following three weeks of newly enforced closure.
The state’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate is lower than it was last week but it, like the daily positive case count, is staggeringly higher than even the earlier days of the pandemic, and the late spring/early summer when the curve was flattened.
Beshear announced an additional 2,946 new cases on Tuesday and fifteen new deaths, along with a positivity rate of 8.53%.
Boone County reported 63 of those new cases while Kenton County saw 59. Campbell County recorded 29 cases, while there were 11 in Pendleton County and 9 in Grant County.
St. Elizabeth and six other facilities received shipments on Tuesday after UofL Health in Louisville, Baptist Health Lexington, and the Medical Center at Bowling Green received the first shipments provided in Kentucky.
“St. Elizabeth Healthcare is honored to be among the first health care organizations in the commonwealth to receive the COVID-19 vaccine allocations,” said St. Elizabeth CEO Garren Colvin. “Being able to provide an additional layer of defense to our front-line associates and physicians who, in their line of work, have the most risk of exposure to COVID-19 patients is critical. This is a landmark moment in health care history, and we are grateful to help lead these vital efforts for the greater health of our community.”
Federal coronavirus coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx was in Kentucky on Tuesday meeting with Beshear, Department for Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack, and General Assembly leaders.
Though the vaccine’s arrival has sparked optimism, health officials are still concerned about the current case load and its potential further strain on health care facilities and employees.
Dr. Stack said the pandemic’s third surge is rising more rapidly than seen in the previous surges. The current surge is also broader, involving more counties simultaneously. This surge is also lasting longer, nearly twice as long so far from initiation of rapid spread to plateau.
Further, the pattern of the rapid increase in case numbers and accompanying hospitalizations and fatalities are also being observed across the nation, beginning with the Northern Plains.
“As the weather cools and Americans gather indoors, we expect to see a rise in cases following indoor gatherings where masks were not worn,” Dr. Stack said.
The need for testing has not slipped in importance, Dr. Stack said. Asymptomatic, or silent transmission, is “a critical component of viral spread and must be identified through testing.” He equated the importance of testing as on par with masking, physical distancing, and hand hygiene.
-Michael Monks, editor & publisher
Photo: Dr. Dora Savani receives the vaccine at St. Elizabeth (provided)