Wilmington VA Medical Center expanding vaccine access to Kent, Sussex Counties
DELAWARE – Delaware is in the midst of preparing to roll out the second phase of COVID-19 vaccines. Phase 1b includes some front-line essential workers and Delawareans 65 years old and older. “We were very concerned that we would miss getting to touch some of our most vulnerable populations. In Delaware we will be vaccinating individuals aged 65 and older,” said Director of the Delaware Division of Public Health Dr. Karyl Rattay.
Dr. Rattay says the next phase probably won’t happen until the end of January. “Please be patient with us. There’s just not enough vaccines for everyone right now,” said Dr. Rattay.
But phase 1a is still well underway. Long term care facilities like the one at Wilmington VA Medical Center are extending their reach to make sure they can protect more Delawareans. Starting December 30th, the medical center will have vaccines available for veterans and staff at their outpatient centers in Sussex and Kent Counties. “We’ve been planning for vaccines since day one because we knew this was going to be the most important intervention in the long run,” said Chief of Staff Dr. George Tzanis.
Wilmington VA Medical Center has been distributing vaccines to staff and some veterans at their extended care facility since December 22nd. “I think people are waiting to see what the results are right off the bat. The rest staff will line up after them. For the most part we’ve not lacked staff interest,” said Dr. Tzanis.
Dr. Tzanis says now he and his team are working to make sure that the doses are evenly distributed between outpatient centers. “The biggest challenge would be adequately distributing it to everybody in a prioritized fashion. So a lot of preparation has gone into some of the logistics,” said Dr. Tzanis.
The Wilmington VA Medical Center says once they’ve vaccinated the most vulnerable veterans, they’ll start expanding it to other eligible veterans. Dr. George Tzanis says anyone who gets vaccinated with them can expect to get their second dose from them as well. “At the rate that we’re getting the vaccine, we’ll be able to probably work down that list pretty steadily,” said Dr. Tzanis.
