J&J Pause Not Affecting Vaccine Rollout at Evangelical
Photo: Evangelical Community Hospital
LEWISBURG – The vaccine rollout at Evangelical Community Hospital has been and is expected to continue going smoothly.
Vice President of Physician and Clinic Practices Brian Wolfe says the hospital hasn’t been receiving allocations of the now paused Johnson and Johnson vaccine. He says they have been receiving regular shipments, “As a vaccine provider, we have a security of vaccine week to week. So we continue to push out schedules and continue to appoint people further out through this month and into May. So really today, there isn’t a concern for vaccine security.”
Wolfe says each week they receive about 1,200 doses, primarily of Pfizer.
After experiencing high call volumes at the start of the rollout, Wolfe says the hospital is much better prepared and has been able to meet demands, “Throughout the whole process, we’ve really just adapted to what the needs are, the demands. Whether its through our scheduling process or maybe on the on-site when we are administering vaccine, so that staffing level changes just based on demand.”
Given the Johnson and Johnson news, vaccine hesitancy seems to be growing among the public, but Wolfe says Evangelical is here for education, “As a healthcare organization, we encourage those participants to either contact their primary care provider. There’s other options whether you look online for education…there’s an opportunity to call into our hotline and they can help answer questions as well.”
Wolfe says 65% of hospital staff has been vaccinated so far.
