Mon Health, WVU Medicine looking to help with COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
West Virginia continues to lead the nation in the rate of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration.
Mon Health System received the first round of vaccines Dec. 15 and followed the State of West Virginia guidelines for vaccine distribution. Mon Health System has only been given supplies for the purpose of vaccinating Mon Health System staff and physicians with an emphasis on front-line staff to continue to safely care for the community.
West Virginians age 80 and over are now eligible to receive the vaccines. The West Virginia National Guard is finalizing vaccine-distribution plans for this age group and county health departments have already begun COVID-19 vaccinations with future clinics to be announced soon.
Once Mon Health System hospitals receive the green light from the state, there are plans, in coordination with local health departments, to provide COVID-19 vaccination to community members not employed by Mon Health System.
“We are dedicated to ensuring our community has access to a COVID-19 vaccine, and we look to coordinate vaccinations as soon as they are made available per state guidelines,” said David Goldberg, president & CEO of Mon Health System.
WVU Medicine employees have also started the vaccination process, and officials hope to help vaccinate the state’s population as soon as possible.
“WVU Medicine will work closely with the State of West Virginia and local health departments to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to the general public once the vaccine becomes widely available,” a WVU Medicine spokesperson said Thursday. “We hope that occurs in the near future and plan to offer it at our existing clinics, hospitals, or at some other convenient location that people can easily access. In the meantime, we are carefully following the guidelines established by the state and federal government regarding the distribution of the vaccine, and are focused on ensuring our front-line caregivers and other critical staff members are vaccinated first.”
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has now implemented a COVID Vaccine Information Hot Line. The information hub has been created for residents with questions about the COVID-19 vaccines. It can be accessed at https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/Pages/Vaccine.aspx. The hub can be reached by phone at 833-734-0965 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.
The state of West Virginia has created a seven-step system of distribution, and as of Jan. 5, West Virginia is in phase 1A.
Visit monhealth.com/coronavirus for updates.
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