Taking the Fight to COVID-19
McLaren Northern Michigan began the process of immunizing its health care workers against COVID-19 on Thursday, December 17, 2020.
“Our health care team has been courageously battling each wave of this virus for nearly a year,” said Todd Burch, President and CEO at McLaren Northern Michigan. “With today’s deployment of the vaccine we can now take the fight to COVID-19.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, which began being distributed to hospitals over the last few days. McLaren Northern Michigan received 975 initial doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and is expecting to receive additional quantities over the next few weeks.
“The initial distribution of the vaccine is an important milestone in the pandemic, but it will take many months to get everyone across the country vaccinated,” said Karen DenBesten, MD, Infectious Disease Physician at McLaren Northern Michigan, who was among the initial health care workers to receive the vaccine. “I urge the community to remain vigilant and continue to follow the guidance necessary to protect yourself and your family; including wearing a mask, maintaining distance and limiting your holiday gatherings to only those you live with.”
McLaren Health Care hospitals and clinics surveyed the interest of team members, medical staff, and contract workers in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. To date, nearly 80% of respondents across the McLaren system indicated they are willing to receive the COVID-19 now or in the future.
Using the survey data and vaccination information, McLaren Northern Michigan created a plan to immunize its health care work force who are among the highest priority group. It is expected to take several weeks for the vaccine to be administered to health care employees based on the availability of vaccine doses. McLaren Health Care and Walgreens have also launched an innovative partnership. By partnering with Walgreens, McLaren can streamline and expedite vaccinations, providing more vaccines in a shorter amount of time.
“Walgreens is very proud to collaborate with McLaren on this historic milestone to begin administering Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to the true heroes who are on the frontlines of battling COVID-19. This is an incredibly important step in an unprecedented effort to allow our nation to emerge from this pandemic,” said John Standley, president, Walgreens.