Lancaster, N.Y. (WBEN) The Greenfields in Lancaster is one of 50,000 nursing home or adult care facilities in the nation awaiting word on when the Pfizer vaccine will be available to residents and staff.
"We're still first in line," said President and CEO Chris Koenig on WBEN. "The information we're getting is changing day by day. But the feds are going to send the vaccines to Walgreens and CVS, and nursing homes will contract with them," he said. The first available doses have been prioritized for residents of long term care facilities and health care workers.
Once emergency use authorization is given by the Food and Drug Administration, which is expected Thursday, the vaccine will be distributed. Koenig is hopeful it will arrive by the end of the month.
"The latest information I received is that Walgreens or CVS would set up a clinic in each facility. Residents and staff would be transported to the area. If residents are unable to leave their room, the vaccine administrators would come to them," said Koenig.
While there is still much uncertainty about vaccine distribution, Koenig said it is far better than the past eight months of living with Covid. "At least the end is in sight. Any risk or uneasiness about the rollout is superseded by the world we've been living in these past several months."
The Greenfields in Lancaster has approximately 400 residents and 500 health care workers and staff. The vaccines must be delivered in two doses a number of weeks apart. That means approximately 1800 doses of vaccine at the Lancaster facility.
Even after the vaccinations, masks and social distancing will continue. "The body needs to build immunity and I've heard mixed answers as to how long after the second injection the body gets the immunity. So people need to maintain the social distancing and the masks," said Koenig.
With restrictions on nursing home visitation in place for so long, does Koenig expect that to ease up soon? "I hope so, but to be honest that is going to have to come from Governor Andrew Cuomo. Everything we're living in now, all the rules, all the regulations, come directly from the Governor," he said.
