SoutheastHEALTH employees receive first COVID-19 vaccine doses in region

Five front-line health care workers became the first in Southeast Missouri to receive doses of a vaccine to fight COVID-19.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, three nurses and two doctors, employees of SoutheastHEALTH, took their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. In three to four weeks, they will receive a second booster dose.

Those receiving the vaccine dose were Mary Carter, intensive care unit nurse; Rajesh Swaminathan, critical care intensivist; Audrey Raechel-Batz, medical telemetry nurse; Brian Keenan, emergency department physician; and Molly Brown, “float team” nurse who serves in various departments. Nurse Angela Head administered the vaccine doses.

SoutheastHEALTH is one of the state’s pre-selected vaccine distribution sites. The system received about 3,000 doses earlier this week.

In prepared remarks, chief executive officer Kenneth Bateman said the vaccine offers hope for an eventual end to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m pleased to announce there’s a light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel. We still have formidable challenges ahead in the coming months, but we also have hope. As we give the first five Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations today, it is with a feeling of great honor to bring this treatment to health care workers and first-responders and residents of Southeast Missouri. I speak on behalf of all SoutheastHEALTH employees that we are humbled to be a part of this historical development in the fight against COVID-19,” he told a group of assembled media and health system employees.

Brown said she hopes people see health care workers receiving the vaccine and take it themselves.

“I feel blessed that I get to be part of this team that is providing COVID care in our area and have the opportunity to get the vaccine,” she said. “I know a lot of people are scared about it. There is a lot of fear around it. If stepping forward and engaging and being one of the first to get it helps take away some of that fear, helps people see that we have a way to fight this virus a little bit better, I am certainly willing to do that.”

Swaminathan agreed.

“This is really the next logical step. We are learning more and more about the virus each day. We have had firsthand experience on what the virus can do, but we’ve also had firsthand experience on how we have been able to treat the virus successfully. Getting the vaccine is another part of that therapy people can receive to beat this virus and get better and be at home with their families and bring the world back to normal,” he said.

Keenan said the vaccine can help end the pandemic.

“I think this is the biggest tool we have right now. ... It may be the beginning of the end of coronavirus for us, and that is huge,” he commented.

State distribution plan

Bateman said these first immunizations are part of the state’s distribution plan to focus first on health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities.

“As vaccine availability expands in the coming weeks, we will strategically target vaccination efforts with a phased approach as set forth by the Missouri Department of Health. We are currently entering phase one, which will include health care workers, essential workers and high risk populations. That will be followed by phase two and phase three, which will still include phase one populations and all Missouri residents.

Bateman said Southeast-

HEALTH’s initial allocation of vaccine doses will be enough to administer the vaccine to all of the system’s health care workers and also begin administering doses to health care workers at other organizations at a rate of up to 1,000 doses per day. He said he expects to provide vaccine doses to all SoutheastHEALTH health care workers within a week.

According to Bateman, the vaccine’s strongest immunity to the virus comes after patients receive both shots of the regimen.

For more information on vaccine distribution in the region, visit www.sehealth.org/patients-and-visitors/covid19-information.