Characterizing the waning weeks of December as “the season of hope” may be an understatement in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mass suffering and loss across the globe since March, but there’s reason to believe this nightmarish time in our lives is nearing its end.
The largest vaccine effort in human history has begun — including right here in Bartholomew County,
On Monday, the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine arrived in Indiana, and were administered to a doctor, nurse, respiratory therapist, pharmacist, patient-care tech and environmental services tech at Parkview Health in Fort Wayne.
As the week progressed, additional sites received their initial shipments of the vaccine, created by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, with an estimated 55,575 doses going out to Hoosier healthcare providers.
Columbus Regional Health was among those to obtain a batch, receiving enough of the vaccine to inoculate hundreds of healthcare workers from Bartholomew, Jackson, Jennings and Decatur counties.
In a historic moment Thursday, Dr. Raymond Kiser, of Columbus Regional Hospital, was the first person in the county to be immunized.
CRH is now taking a “department-by-department” approach to stagger vaccinations for eligible staff, which also includes those in nursing homes and assisted living centers.
Hospital officials said that twice the number of doses are expected in the next shipment, but a delivery date has not yet been set. There are more than 400,000 eligible healthcare workers in Indiana, including an estimated 3,147 in Bartholomew County.
The general public is still likely months away from having access to the vaccine, but Hoosiers should feel hopeful as the number of vaccinated individuals grows by the day.
At the same time, all citizens must continue to follow the strict public health guidelines in place. The virus is still infecting thousands in Indiana daily, and needs to still be taken very seriously by all.
Help is on the way, Hoosiers. It’s just going to take some more time before a semblance of normalcy can be established.
Hope is a power feeling, and its presence is very much welcome as we head into 2021.
