The St. Luke’s Hospital system received its first limited allotment of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) last week, joining the other three major hospital systems in St. Louis to vaccinate front-line health-care workers against the coronavirus.
Chastity White, BS, RRT, respiratory therapist at St. Luke’s Hospital, was the first employee to receive a vaccination Dec. 21 along with a small group of nurses, physicians and others.
St. Luke’s officially launched its accelerated vaccination program Dec. 22, and will follow guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DHHS and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to prioritize initial vaccine administration to team members and medical staff who are at the highest risk of exposure to COVID-19.
In addition, long-term care residents and long-term care healthcare workers will be included in this initial phase. St. Luke’s has developed a program capable of delivering more than 200 vaccines per day.
