SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla. – Bayfront Health St. Petersburg provided to team members plans for vaccination of its clinicians and non-clinicians identified as being at risk of COVID-19 exposure. The free, voluntary vaccinations will begin Friday, December 18, and continue Tuesday, December 22nd. Similar plans are underway at other Orlando Health facilities. The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine will be used.
“Our team members are prepared to receive the vaccines starting this Friday. We will start with those at a higher risk of being exposed to COVID-19,” said John Moore, President of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. “Being that we are Pinellas County’s only Level 2 Trauma Center we are grateful to be among the first to receive the vaccine.”
“We are pleased to provide this initial round of vaccinations to individuals who face the highest risk of exposure to the virus,” said George Ralls, MD, chief medical officer, Orlando Health. “In addition to the Pfizer product, we expect the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to be approved within weeks, which – based on supply – should allow us to expand the vaccination program, eventually making the vaccine available to our entire workforce.”
High-risk groups are defined by Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) as clinical and non-clinical staff with direct patient contact with increased risk of COVID-19 exposure. Examples include intensive care units (ICU), COVID-19 care units, emergency departments and personnel who handle infectious materials.
“As additional supply of vaccine becomes available, Orlando Health will move quickly to establish additional vaccination sites across our system,” adds Dr. Ralls. “Because the supply of COVID-19 vaccine remains unclear, specific dates for opening of additional sites has not yet been determined.”