DOVER, Del. - Bayhealth in Dover is among the first in Delaware to receive the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Other hospitals across the state are getting ready to receive their first shipments.
History was made on Monday, as Delaware is one of the first states in the nation to receive this vaccine. The First State is expected to receive 8,775 initial doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Bayhealth received 975 doses on Monday, which will reside in a sub-zero freezer. The hospital will start vaccinating staff members, who come into frequent contact with COVID patients, on Tuesday.
"The effectiveness of this vaccine far exceeds our expectations. We are really excited about it arriving here. The vaccine itself will save Delawareans lives especially as more individuals develop immunity from the virus by taking it,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, Director of Delaware Division of Public Health.
Beebe Healthcare says as soon as it gets the vaccine, employees who work in the highest risk areas will be the first to get it, but they have not revealed when that will happen.
Dr. Kathryn Fiddler, Vice President of Population Health at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, says she expects the vaccine to arrive tomorrow at TidalHealth Nanticoke and Peninsula locations, and a few more remote sites on Wednesday.
"We're trying to figure out who wants it, who's in those high risk areas, and as we deplete those lists of who wants it in those areas, we'll start operating it so we can have all our staff in the healthcare system access it,” said Dr. Fiddler.
In a statement, Sussex County EMS tells WRDE they will be “scheduling multiple dates of drive thru vaccinations that allow for employees to be off 2-3 days before they are scheduled to return to work.”
DPH says the remainder of vaccine doses should arrive on Wednesday, as the vaccine will be distributed in three phases, heading to healthcare workers first.