The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Prince William County.
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge has begun administering doses to staff members, according to a release from Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center.
Healthcare staff who are more likely to be exposed to the virus, such as those working or offering services in various areas – COVID patient units, the respiratory unit, the emergency department and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) – are the first to receive it.
Employees started getting the voluntary vaccine on Thursday.
Director of Patient Care and Emergency Services for Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center and Sentara Lake Ridge Doris Warner was among them.
“All of the healthcare front-liners have done an amazing job caring for all the patients that present to this facility. Their never-ending selflessness and dedication is unwavering,” Warner said in a release. “The Christmas miracle that we are all receiving in the form of a vaccine is truly a blessing.”
The vaccine must be given twice, with the second received three weeks after the first.
This week, the Woodbridge hospital was provided with 11,700 Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses that it distributed to facilities it operates.
It’s planning to have doses of the Moderna vaccine and more of the Pfizer vaccine soon.
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center anticipates that the vaccine will become available to the public in spring 2021.
