COVID-19 Vaccination Update for Long Term Care Facilities

COVID-19 Vaccination Update for Long Term Care Facilities

December 21, 2020

Dear Family, Friends, and Residents:

This has been a very difficult year with the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are pleased to share some good news. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found a COVID-19 vaccine to be safe and effective, and our facility will be able to give the vaccine to residents and employees at no cost.

Most of the COVID-19 vaccines require two separate doses given about three or four weeks apart, depending on the vaccine.  We, along with thousands of other long term care facilities, are participating in a program with the Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health to help us most efficiently distribute these vaccines once they are available. We will keep you informed of this process as we move forward.  Our employees will also have the opportunity to get vaccinated through this program, if they have not been vaccinated previously.

The program is being coordinated by a partner vendor pharmacy who will conduct vaccination clinics at our facility.  They will vaccinate both residents and staff, which will involve two (2) shots.  The second shot will be given 3-4 weeks after the first.

The clinics will be scheduled upon confirmation from the pharmacy and you will be updated upon notification (you will be contacted by a facility representative and/or receive materials via mail or email if not already).  In order to receive the vaccination, all participants (Residents and Employees) MUST COMPLETE and RETURN a Vaccine Consent Form and Vaccine EAU Fact Sheet to the facility.

We encourage as many residents as possible to get this vaccine.  The vaccine has been shown to provide a great deal of protection against serious illness due to COVID-19. The more residents that get vaccinated, the better we can protect our community against potential outbreaks and save lives.

This vaccine has gone through testing and clinical trials to ensure it meets the highest safety standards. It also is safe to get if you already had the virus. The health and safety of our residents is always our top priority, and we are confident this vaccine is a much better option than the risk of getting this virus.

Please read the linked EUA fact sheet below and contact a facility representative with any questions. Potential side effects are listed on the fact sheet. You will find that these side effects are similar to the potential side effects of the flu shot.

We encourage you to reach out to the facility if you have any questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, its possible side effects, and what to expect after receiving it. As we have been saying over the course of this difficult year, we are all in this together.  Please know that the safety and wellbeing of our staff and residents have been and remain our top priority. We are confident that the worldwide, unprecedented scientific achievement of these COVID-19 vaccines will eventually enable us to enjoy life with our loved ones again. We look forward to doing our part in this effort by getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and hope you will join us.

Click below to review a copy of the EUA Fact Sheet:

http://putnamrehab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Pfizer-BioNTech-COVID-19-Vaccine-EUA-Fact-Sheet-for-Recipients-12142020.pdf

You may also visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines to learn more about the vaccine. 

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