Patrick Branco, CEO at Russell County Hospital states “we have been receiving a significant number of questions, requests and demands for information on when vaccines will be available to members of our community”.
In answer to these questions and concerns he has provided the following information for the Russell County community:
On December 30th we received our first shipment of 100 doses of the vaccine. We immediately distributed all those to the frontline workers in the healthcare system that were ready to take the initial doses. We immediately ordered an additional 100 doses for the following week but that order was delayed as the State made critical determinations about where the limited number of doses could be distributed statewide. On January 11th we received our next shipment of 100 doses and we again distributed those to the top priority individuals in priority 1a. Immediately upon receipt of our second 100 doses we ordered an additional 100 doses and we believed we would be in a position to be receiving about 100 doses every week or every other week and we could plan accordingly.
Unfortunately, there is a significant shortage of the vaccines across the State and at this time we will not be able to provide any vaccines until that supply improves. I have be assured that we will be provided with the 200 doses necessary to provide the booster to first 200 we vaccinated.
We are not pre-registering for future vaccination phases currently, as we are not aware of a timeline in which we might receive more vaccine. We will promptly notify the community when we receive assurance of new shipments of the vaccine and we will begin the process of compiling a waiting list for distribution based on priority 1b (>70 years old) and higher risk individuals.
At RCH we are deeply committed to helping rid this disease from our midst and committed to serving the needs of our community. We ask that everyone please be patient with us and know that we are doing everything in our power to get the vaccine into the arms of our community!
Branco stated “I have rarely seen a more dedicated health care team of nurses, technicians, providers and support staff than I have encountered here in Kentucky. In addition to a solid partnership with the State, District, and Local Department of Health we have been united in our desire to serve quickly, competently, and compassionately. One day soon we will have this virus under good control and God willing return to our normal lives again”.
