Keith Velasco, a patient care associate in the emergency department at Bassett Medical Center, and Edwin Cook, an environmental services technician at Bassett receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine December 23. Administering the vaccine (l. to r.) are Allen Light, Employee Health manager, and Donna Anderson, RN, Chief Nursing Officer and VP of Patient Care Services for Bassett’s northern region.

COOPERSTOWN – Bassett Healthcare Network received its first allocation of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine this week and began vaccinating clinical and non-clinical staff that work in direct patient care areas. The staff receiving the vaccine in this first phase of distribution fall into the Tier 1 group prioritized to receive the vaccine, as defined by state and federal criteria. All five hospitals in the network, received their initial allotment of the Moderna vaccine just ahead of Christmas.

 

“It has been a long several months, and our practitioners, nurses and other staff who have been battling this pandemic for nearly a year are energized by the arrival of a vaccine,” says Network President and CEO Tommy Ibrahim, MD, MHA. “All employees will be offered the vaccine in the coming weeks; those prioritized by the New York State Department of Health to be vaccinated first are clinical and non-clinical employees who work in direct patient care areas, and employees who are 65 years of age or older.”

 

There are over 5,000 employees in the Bassett Healthcare Network. Prior to receiving the Moderna vaccine, some Bassett staff traveled to state designated hub hospitals in Utica and Elmira to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Both vaccines require a second inoculation. Those who received the Pfizer vaccine will be vaccinated again 21 days later. Staff who receive the Moderna vaccine will get a second dose 28 days later.