WAYNE – Each time a Coronavirus vaccine dose is issued a milestone will be met, Thursday evening that milestone for Providence Medical Center was their 300th COVID-19 vaccination.
PMC has now used all of the Moderna COVID vaccines they’ve received until another round will be issued.
Shelia Brown, an EMT with Wakefield Rescue was the 300th COVID-19 vaccination recipient. Ginger Nixon and Lisa Clausen administered Thursday evening’s 30 total vaccinations.
Partnering with the local department of health, PMC has vaccinated 135 PMC employees.
CEO Jim Frank said he thinks they’ll be able to increase their numbers dramatically from their current protocols when the next round of vaccines arrive.
“I think we’re going to keep the same process,” said Frank. “It’s worked well. We have very smart educated staff members and they know what they’re doing, so we let them do their job.”
Also, 165 EMS, first responders, dentists, pharmacists and optometrists were vaccinated from Wayne, Dixon and Cedar counties.
Frank added this was just the first round of shots.
“It’s a day-to-day thing,” Frank added. “We don’t know when we’re getting our first shipment of vaccine. But when it comes, we’ll be ready to step in and help with the next phase.”
PMC will be helping out Wayne Community Schools with 150 doses.
Communities who received a vaccination included people from Wayne, Wakefield, Hoskins, Randolph, Winside, Coleridge, Allen/Waterbury, Dixon/Concord, Laurel, Carroll, Newcastle, Ponca, Martinsburg, Hartington, Belden and Wynot.
“Again, I think it’s just that the end is in sight,” Frank mentioned. “It’s going to be a process to get everybody vaccinated. But we can see the end is going to come now, so very happy about that.”
About two months ago, PMC was just about at capacity for their 21-bed hospital. The COVID cases in the Northeast Nebraska Public Health District have decreased by about two-thirds.