Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center announced that its first COVID-19 vaccinations, prioritizing frontline team members in accordance with CDC guidelines, were provided on December 17.
Ann Olsen, R.N., nurse manager, Critical Care, was the first team member to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Olsen serves in an integral role in Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s specialized care for patients whose conditions are life threatening and require comprehensive treatment and constant monitoring.
Hackensack Meridian Health physicians, nurses, and team members working in direct contact with COVID-19 patients are now receiving the first of the two-dose regimen. Hackensack Meridian received a limited supply to be distributed throughout the network in accordance with CDC guidelines, which require two injections at least 21 days apart.
Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine has demonstrated 95-percent efficacy against infection with minimal side effects, and works on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which instructs cells in the body to make different proteins.
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PHOTO CAPTION:
Ann Olsen, left, receives the COVID-19 vaccine from James McCracken, ID clinical specialist, at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.