Marion County Health Department Administrator Melissa Mallow says the health department received its first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.
She reports they are currently working on immunizing those falling in the 1A group of hospital, health care, emergency services, pharmacists and home health care workers who did not receive their first vaccination earlier from SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital or Salem Township Hospital.
Mallow says specialized clinics are planned for some of the workers while others are being served at the Salem office on a pre-scheduled basis. Like the Pfizer vaccine, two doses about three weeks apart are required.
Mallow says once the 1A group is served, the health department will be rolling out procedures for the next high-risk groups to be vaccinated. She isn’t sure how quickly that will be happening. Be listening to WJBD-WSIQ Radio or watching WJBDradio.com for further details as they are released.
Mallow says the Pfizer vaccine was not practical for the health department to utilize due to the extreme cold storage requirements that were not available. She reports with the Moderna vaccine can be kept in normal refrigeration and freezers with up to 30 days to utilize the vaccine.
