Jefferson County Health Center (JCHC) received the Moderna COVID vaccine

Jefferson County Health Center

December 23, 2020

 

Jefferson County Health Center (JCHC) received the Moderna COVID vaccine on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 and began administering it to staff the same day.  The vaccine is being allocated to frontline healthcare workers, emergency responders, and long-term care facility residents and staff per federal and state guidelines. Because of the limited number of doses, Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) determined the number of vaccines that Jefferson County received. JCHC received enough to vaccinate approximately two thirds of their employees. 

“We have followed the research and development of the COVID vaccines over the last 10 months. The technology for messenger RNA vaccine dates as far back as 1978. In addition, research for Ebola and Zika vaccines have aided scientists in producing this vaccine in record time. The RNA in the vaccine produces spike protein that induces immunity to the COVID-19 virus. The RNA is destroyed in the body in days and does not become part of our genetic profile. We believe the vaccine is safe and with help create immunity from COVID-19.” said Dr. Michael Greiner, family physician and Medical Staff President at JCHC. 

“We are very excited to offer the vaccine for our staff who are caring for patients diagnosed with COVID. This will be an additional layer of protection for them” said Bryan Hunger, CEO of JCHC. 

Once it is available for the public, JCHC will be a vaccine location.  The timeline is not set, but the vaccine is anticipated to be available for the community in late spring or summer.  At this point, JCHC does not have a vaccine wait list for the public.