Columbia, KY - T.J. Health Columbia has received and begun to administer the first doses of the Moderna vaccine to fight COVID-19. The first recipients included doctors, nurses, and several front line team members from multiple patient care areas, as well as local EMS. Moderna is the second vaccine to be given Emergency Use Authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
All team members across T.J. Regional Health have the option to take the vaccine.
“This marks a definite turning point and a renewed sense of hope in the fight against the global pandemic,” said Neil Thornbury, CEO of T.J. Regional Health. “We are confident that the vaccine will provide a path toward a return to some sense of normalcy.”
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is administered as a series of two doses, given one month apart, and is for individuals 18 years and older. General side effects, which typically lasted 1-2 days during clinical trials, were pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, nausea and vomiting, and fever. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine does not contain SARS-CoV-2 and cannot give the recipient COVID-19.
The FDA’s scientists and physicians determined that the vaccine’s known and potential benefits clearly outweigh its risks. Through the scientific review process and thorough evaluation, the FDA assures the public and medical community that “two COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized in an expedited timeframe while adhering to the rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization.”
“It has been a long year of searching for answers on how to treat, prevent, or just slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Eric Fisher, Chief of the Medical Staff. “I’m exciting to see the arrival of a safe and effective vaccine so that we can close 2020 on a positive note and begin 2021 with a renewed sense of hope that we are going to overcome this.”
