"A start to a better tomorrow" Anderson Hospital receives COVID-19 vaccine

Anderson Regional Medical Center received their first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine today and began administering it to healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers line up to receive what everyone has been talking about this year, the COVID-19 vaccine. A shipment of 200 doses was brought into Anderson Regional Medical Center this morning and Keith Everett says they are excited to finally begin putting it to use.

“We have been ready to receive these for well over a week now and we are ready to put them to use as soon as we get them,” said Dr. Keith Everett, Chief Medical Officer at Anderson Regional Medical Center. “We feel like this is the answer in protecting all of our employees.”

Dr. Everett says the hospital built a list to determine who would receive the vaccine first and those who directly take care of COVID-19 patients were first in line. The vaccine is not required at the hospital, but many are taking advantage.

“It is done on a voluntary basis, but what we’re finding is the vast majority of our employees are wanting to have this vaccine,” said Everett. “The employees will be called down one at a time. It will take a little bit of time to do it because we can’t bring everybody in at one time.”

One nurse who is on the frontlines says she understands the risk she’s taking, but it’s something that has to be done.

“I realize that they’re risks with this vaccine, but this virus is horrible,” said ICU Nurse Jill Moore of Anderson Regional Medical Center. “It has killed families. I have been on Zoom with people telling their family members goodbye.”

Dr. Everett says the vaccine is a mRNA vaccine, meaning it doesn’t use a live or dead virus.

“It’s a program of genetic material that’s like the virus, but it’s not the virus. It teaches your immune system to recognize that particular virus,” said Everett. “So your immune system is trained to recognize the virus once it enters your system to kill the virus and prevent you from getting sick.”

The hospital doesn’t know when their next shipment of vaccines will come in, but say today is a start to a better tomorrow.