A St. Joseph’s/Candler healthcare employee receives a COVID-19 vaccine shot on Dec. 15. Credit: Courtesy of St. Joseph's/Candler

After months of battling with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Chatham County healthcare professionals were among the first to receive coronavirus vaccinations on Tuesday soon after the first shipment of life-saving shots arrived in Savannah.

Healthcare professionals from the Chatham County Health Department, Memorial Health, St. Josephโ€™s/Candler, and Neuro Step Down were among the first Georgia residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday at the Health Department office on Savannahโ€™s Eisenhower Drive. Candler Hospital also began vaccinating its employees on Tuesday after receiving 300 doses of the freshly approved Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey visited Savannah to praise the speed of the vaccineโ€™s production. Kemp said that the first phase of the vaccine will go to vulnerable residents of nursing homes and healthcare workers during a press conference at Chathamโ€™s Department of Public Health office Tuesday afternoon.

The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine doses arrives at St. Joseph’s/Candler on Dec. 15. Credit: Courtesy of St. Joseph's/Candler
โ€œToday, Dr. Toomey and I are thrilled to be here as we take this next step. The work done by the Trump administration, in Operation Warp Speed, to manufacture and deliver these vaccines has been nothing short of a miracle,โ€ Kemp said.

Some of the first healthcare workers to receive vaccine doses expressed relief about the progress this signifies toward ending the pandemic.

โ€œI am absolutely excited because itโ€™s the light at the end of the tunnel for us. It signifies eradicating this disease,โ€ said Terria Manning with the COVID Unit at St. Josephโ€™s. โ€œI was lucky to be chosen to receive this vaccine today.โ€

While lauding the vaccineโ€™s arrival, Kemp cautioned the public to continue practicing COVID-19 safety precautions to keep the virus at bay for the vast majority of the public that will not be immunized until well into 2021.

โ€œThe general public will not receive the vaccine for months, so we need everyone to hunker down and continue to follow the four things weโ€™ve asked to limit the spread: wear your mask, wash your hands, continue to socially distance when you can, and continue to follow the guidance of public health officials,โ€ Kemp said.

A healthcare worker prepares a COVID-19 vaccine shot on Dec. 15. Credit: Courtesy of St. Joseph's/Candler
Approximately 600 healthcare providers have already signed up to distribute the vaccines, according to Toomey. During the first phase, 84,800 vaccine doses have already been allocated to hospitals and public-health facilities across the state, with 3,900 of those doses distributed to Chatham County health facilities, she said.

โ€œAll Georgians be patient, because even as we are excited about this vaccine campaign, we have relatively few vaccines initially to begin with,โ€ Toomey said. โ€œWeโ€™re also expecting Moderna vaccine will be approved as early as the end of this week, both by the FDA and the ACIP, with almost 174,000 doses.โ€

Toomey added that the Moderna vaccine does not require the same type of logistical challenges as the Pfizer vaccine โ€“ including storage within a -90ยฐ Fahrenheit freezer โˆ’ and it will be more easily distributed to Georgiaโ€™s rural areas because it comes in smaller doses.

A St. Joseph’s/Candler healthcare employee receives a COVID-19 vaccine shot on Dec. 15. Credit: Courtesy of St. Joseph's/Candler
After the first phase of vaccinations are complete, the second phase will take care of nonclinical healthcare staff, pharmacy staff, court employees, nuclear plant operators, and essential workers.

โ€œWe are going to work hard to assure everybody that this vaccine is safe, effective, and really extremely important to everyone in the state so we can stop this pandemic now,โ€ Toomey said.

Kemp also encouraged all Georgia residents to take the vaccine.

โ€œIt is critical for people to get vaccinated, because it has been proven not only to work at a very high rate but also to be very effective, so part of our job and part of Dr. Toomeyโ€™s job is to continue to convince people that weโ€™re putting our money where our mouth is,โ€ Kemp said.

Brandy Simpkins is a born and raised Savannahian and an alumna of Savannah Savannah State University where she received her B.A. in English Language & Literature. Simpkins enjoys writing more than anything...