MACON, Ga. — On Thursday, the day that Coliseum Health Systems CEO Stephen Daugherty has been prepping for is here. Members of his staff will be getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
"The emergency department, the intensive care unit, and then the in-patient units where we're cohorting COVID positive patients, and then of course the medical staff that would come in contact with them as well," he says.
Daugherty says despite all staff eventually getting the vaccine, patients will still see much of the same.
"When they come to the hospital, they'll continue to see all the hospital personnel in that protective equipment because even though we've been vaccinated, we don't know that we can't carry and pass that virus on to someone else," says Daugherty.
Dr. Jennifer Hoffman, from the Mercer School of Medicine, says Coliseum Health System got the Moderna vaccine, which is stored differently than the Pfizer one.
"The Moderna one doesn't require the ultra cold storage that the Pfizer one does, it's a little bit more stable at regular freezing temperature. Other than that, there really is no major difference," says Hoffman.
Hoffman says she got the vaccine earlier this week over at the Medical Center, Navicent Health.
"I was so excited and grateful for the opportunity," she says. "You know it feels like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, an end is in sight. We're not there yet, we're gonna have another rough couple of months, I think it'll be April before the general population is able to get vaccinated," Hoffman says.
For Daugherty, he says it's the best Christmas gift he can give to his staff.
"I can't think of anything more we can give them at this time of year than that added layer of protection from this virus," says Daugherty.
The North Central Health District also announced on Wednesday that they received shipments of the Moderna vaccine.