The very first batch of COVID-19 Vaccine arrived at Northwest Florida Community Hospital in Chipley, Florida around Noon on Wednesday, December 23, 2020, and was immediately administered to Medical staff and Administrative personnel, as seen in these photos by Debbie Goulding for Real Florida Media.
Michael Kozar, CEO of Northwest Florida Community Hospital, in an interview with Real Florida Magazine, said that since his hospital was one of the only facilities doing their type COVID-19 testing, as well as the fact that NFCH is one of the only local facilities that has the ability to store the Moderna vaccine at 80 degrees below zero, they were able to secure some of the first doses of the vaccine available.
‘We went out and purchased six or eight months ago a freezer that could handle the minus eighty (degrees) ‘.
‘So when the Pfizer vaccine came out, although we received the Moderna vaccine this time, we are still in a position that we can handle that vaccine as well’.
Kozar went on to say that the 300 doses delivered today should be enough to cover his staff in the hospital, as well as other frontline health care providers in the community.
Kozar said that it was possible that, since NFCH has the ability and willingness to store COVID vaccines for other health providers, the hospital may do so, but that his first priority remains the citizens in Washington County, Florida.
Kozar stressed that it was important that citizens digest all the official information about this vaccine before jumping to conclusions about the relative safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, and not get information from social media.
‘This will not stop the virus tomorrow, but it’s a start’, said Kozar, ‘and if we don’t start somewhere, we will never make an impact on the virus’.
‘It’s important that we get the word out’, continued Kozar, ‘and the reason we invited you here today was so that you could see and hear the facts about the process’.
‘We are excited to be on the cutting edge of this process and look forward to being able to give the vaccine to all our residents as soon as possible’.
‘We are going through a real surge of affected patients, and we soon will not be able to find beds for these patients quick enough. We are testing so many individuals right now and seeing such an uptick in the numbers that we are fearful of what January will bring’.
You can listen to the interview here:
