ABILENE -- Memorial Health System (MHS) in Abilene received the COVID-19 vaccine Thursday morning with cheers, and tears, of joy being heard and seen in Memorial Hospital.
Holly Pomeroy, Registered Nurse and OB Unit Coordinator, was the first MHS employee to receive the vaccination at around 11:45 Thursday morning. Registered Nurse and Quality and Risk Manager Carolyn Mikesell, administered the shot.
“We are glad to be on the forefront of fighting COVID-19,” said Chief Nursing Officer Angie Smith, who was the second person at MHS to receive the vaccine. “This gives our staff hope that we can begin turning the corner with this pandemic.”
MHS received 160 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. To be fully effective, the Pfizer vaccine is given as two separate shots 21 days apart. Also, among the first few to receive the vaccine, were Harold Courtois, MHS CEO, and Dr. Brian Holmes, with Heartland Health Care Clinic at Memorial Hospital.
The Dickinson County Health Department and primary care physicians will let the general public know when the vaccine becomes available. Smith expects those to be available March 2021.