Coronavirus vaccines are still branching out in the local healthcare community.
KVOE News reported vaccinations for staff at Emporia State’s Student Wellness Center and nurses in the Emporia School District earlier this week. Newman Regional Health Chief Executive Officer Bob Wright says nursing staff at Flint Hills Technical College have also received vaccines as part of a push to get clinical staff protected. He says coordination continues with Lyon County Public Health, in part because of the need and in part because of the vaccine’s short shelf life.
Wright says vaccines will keep going out to groups on the “secondary list,” including dentists and more clinical staff. At the hospital, the next step is vaccinating patients that are at least 70 years old as the hospital ends its first phase of vaccinations. To speed the process, those patients may get vaccinated by using the drive-thru testing area.
Residents ages 65 to 70 will be the next phase, especially if they have significant medical issues.
Two other concerns as the process continues are advance notice — which, at this time, is extremely short — and vaccine timing, which isn’t happening fast enough to meet the demand.
Coordination of the vaccine is another concern with the two versions already on hand through Pfizer and Moderna, both with different vaccination intervals, and more versions in development.
Newman Regional Health started almost a month ago with the first round of around 170 Pfizer vaccines. Round two is wrapping up Friday. The Moderna vaccine’s first round came in right after Christmas and the second round will be in hand later this month.
