WINDSOR — Several hospitals across the Upper Valley began distributing COVID-19 vaccines to health care workers on Wednesday.
Dr. Joseph Perras, CEO of Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, was preparing for a shot in the arm himself on Wednesday afternoon.
An internist, Perras said he is scheduled to provide inpatient care next week.
He was to be one of the first 95 front-line workers and local emergency medical service personnel slated to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Windsor in the coming days.
“When I get vaccinated, I’m hoping it pushes people who are on the fence to getting it too,” he said in a phone interview.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved the vaccine for emergency use last Friday and is on track to approve another COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna in the coming days.
Perras said he didn’t expect to have trouble finding takers for the initial doses, which need to be dispensed by Sunday due to shelf-life limitations.
“We’re really excited about it,” he said.
The hospital has made room for the vaccination clinic in a professional building across the parking lot from the main hospital. The space includes cots for people to rest for about 15 minutes after they get the shots, so they can be monitored for an adverse reaction.
Gifford Medical Center in Randolph also began vaccinating front-line employees on Wednesday, according to spokeswoman Ashley Lincoln. The Randolph hospital received 110 doses for staff and local EMS providers, she said. Additional vaccination clinics are scheduled for later this week and next.
On Wednesday, the first 35 Springfield (Vt.) Hospital front-line employees and EMS providers were vaccinated, spokeswoman Anna Smith said in an email. In total, 135 such workers are slated to receive the shots in Springfield this week.
And on Friday, Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont is scheduled to begin giving out the 45 doses it’s getting in the first round, said Dr. Jocelyn Caple, Valley Regional’s interim CEO. Caple said hospital employees are excited for the “beginning of this turning point” in the pandemic.
The White River Junction VA Medical Center, however, is not among the first 37 VA sites to get vaccines from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, it said in a news release Wednesday.
The White River Junction VA expects to receive vaccines in future yet-to-be-announced distributions, the release said. When it does, health care workers will receive the first doses, with subsequent doses available to veterans based on factors such as their age and existing health problems.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock, which will begin vaccinating staff on Thursday, will be hosting webinars on the subject of vaccine efficacy and safety on Friday and Monday from 6:45 to 8 a.m.
Friday’s webinar will be available at https://go.d-h.org/vaccinespart1 and Monday’s will be at https://go.d-h.org/vaccinespart2. The webinars also will be recorded and later available on the Dartmouth-Hitchcock YouTube channel.
HANOVER — The COVID-19 outbreak at Hanover Terrace continues to grow, according to nursing home officials.
Seven additional workers at the Lyme Road nursing home had tested positive this week as of Wednesday afternoon, said Martha Ilsley, the facility’s full-time administrator.
The new cases bring the outbreak’s total to 104 people; including 68 residents, 34 workers and two outside essential vendors, as of Wednesday.
One additional resident died Tuesday, bringing the total dead to six, Ilsley said in an email. Three residents remained seriously ill on Wednesday, she said.
Thirty-five current residents have now recovered and another was discharged after recovering, Ilsley said, adding that 22 workers and the two outside vendors have recovered.
Ilsley, who took over from administrator Terry-Ann Gainer on a temporary basis earlier this month, took on the long-term post on Wednesday, she said.
She declined to comment on Gainer’s departure.
NORTH HAVERHILL — Five more employees at the Grafton County Nursing Home have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the nursing home.
One worker had previously tested positive on Dec. 4, Craig Labore, the home’s administrator, said in an email. Labore said he learned of the five new positives on Monday.
Results from testing of residents last week all turned out negative, he said. Additional testing of residents and workers is planned for this week, he said.
A female resident of the Grafton County Nursing Home died after testing positive for COVID-19 in April. That case came soon after a traveling nurse who worked at the nursing home for a few days in mid-April developed symptoms and tested positive for the disease.
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.
