Edited from today's press release: Glens Falls Hospital has received its first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and has begun vaccinating employees based on state and federal guidelines.
Some of the doses received are earmarked for EMS and other first responders – the hospital is working directly with these first responder teams to get their members vaccinated.
Glens Falls Hospital has not received vaccine to be given to the general public, nor do they know the timeline of such vaccines.
The Moderna vaccine, which has been shown to be nearly 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 and 100% effective at preventing serious illness, is the second vaccine made available to Glens Falls Hospital employees. Earlier this week employees received the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine at Ellis Hospital.
The hospital has ensured the public that the vaccine is safe.
"When we take the vaccine, we begin to develop antibodies that recognize these spike proteins which are on the outside of the COVID-19 virus. This builds up our immunity and will help keep us safe from the disease,” said Hillary Alycon, MPH, CIC Director of Infection Prevention and Control in a public community education seminar, available here.
The first person to receive the vaccine at Glens Falls Hospital was Stephanie Kelly, Lab Lead, Microbiology.
“It was great, I did not feel a thing, less than what I feel with the flu shot usually," Kelly said, adding, “I would recommend everyone getting this vaccination, it is important. We are so lucky and I am happy to have it.”