Published on March 19, 2021
OH administers 50,000th COVID-19 vaccine dose
By Christie Netherton - Messenger-Inquirer
Owensboro Health administered its 50,000th COVID-19 vaccination on Wednesday. The 50,000 shots administered include both initial and booster doses, said Dr. Michael Kelley, vice president of medical affairs.
“That’s with starting on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, until now, and I think that’s a fantastic number to be at,” he said.
OH is currently receiving about 2,340 doses of the Pfizer vaccine weekly for OH Regional Hospital, according to Kelley, 300 Moderna doses for OH Muhlenberg Community Hospital and another 300 Moderna doses for OH Twin Lakes Medical Center in Leitchfield, which is close to 3,000 doses per week for the health care system.
Kelley said OH also received 100 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine but it is unknown when the system will receive more and how many, but he expects it might be next week or the following week.
Although Kelley said it is too early to tell how much the Johnson & Johnson vaccine differs from Pfizer and Moderna in post-vaccination reactions, the vaccination process has continued to go fairly smoothly for OH since it began administering shots in December.
“In general, on-site reactions are exceedingly rare,” he said. “We’ve watched people (and) we have not had to do anything as far as admitting anybody to the hospital for any reactions.”
The main reaction individuals are having is to the booster shot, Kelley said, which was expected and is the body’s way of mounting an immune response.
OH currently has a vaccine appointment waiting list for anyone in the community who wishes to receive one. The system is currently vaccinating individuals from tiers 1A, 1B and 1C, which includes anyone aged 60 plus, aged 16 plus considered high risk, healthcare workers, essential workers, daycare and education personnel.
Kelley recommends visiting the Center for Disease Control website to learn who is considered high risk. He also said anyone wanting to receive a vaccine should add their name to the waiting list even if they do not currently qualify under tiers 1A, 1B or 1C so that the system has a record of that person and can schedule an appointment for them if there are additional slots available.
“They may not think they qualify yet, but they probably do and I want them to sign up and get on the list …And if it’s not with us, get signed up somewhere else,” he said.
To be added to the COVID-19 vaccine waiting list with OH, call the COVID-19 hotline at 877-888-6647 or visit OwensboroHealth.org.
About Owensboro Health
Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.
On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.