In early March, the first patient in the state with the coronavirus was diagnosed at Jefferson Regional Medical Center. Since then, the country has been on a roller coaster of dips and rises, with the current state of the coronavirus being record-setting cases and ever-higher deaths.
The state has had more than 3,000 people die from covid-19, and across the United States, close to 315,000 have succumbed to the disease. Each day, more than 3,000 people are dying, and a piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that at that rate, covid-19 had become the leading cause of death in the country.
In Jefferson County, at this writing, there have been 122 deaths, with many of those, we feel certain, passing through Jefferson Regional with the staff there trying valiantly to save them.
If Jefferson Regional was ground zero for the virus in the beginning, it was fitting that the medical center was the place where the vaccine, that started rolling out last week, was first administered in Jefferson County.
The Pfizer vaccine is extremely difficult to handle. It has to be kept extremely cold — almost 100 degrees below zero — and when it’s thawed and diluted with saline solution in preparation for being injected, technicians have just hours to use it.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
But the hospital handled everything last week with what appeared to be ease. A room that is normally used for training had been turned into vaccine central, and as the space became crowded with mask-wearing staff members, administrators and several members of the media, a registered nurse rolled up her sleeve and got the first dose.
It was an emotional event. There were many smiling faces, and after the first shot was delivered, there were shouts and applause. Such was the relief for seeing the first shot fired against an enemy that has laid the world low.
And to characterize this as a war would be apt since the loss of more than 300,000 people eclipses the combined number of deaths associated with a number of conflicts and wars.
In listening to those on the front lines at Jefferson Regional, one hears the pain in their voices. One nurse said that on more than one occasion, numerous staff members have been out sick with the coronavirus, meaning everyone else — and by that we mean the medical staff members who are already working very hard — has to pick up the slack. Other employees have said they have likely been exposed because they are around the disease so much. In short, no one has come away unscathed.
Now that the Moderna vaccine has been approved, the game is starting to change. When it ships out, as early as this week, it will be much easier to handle and will be able to go to nursing homes and many communities that don’t have the equipment necessary to handle the Pfizer vaccine. And remember, there are other vaccine trials going on and, it is hoped that more and more of those vaccines will get the green light and be able to be used both here and across the world.
As part of its role in being a vaccination hub, the hospital will be in the middle of things as it both gives the shots to its own people and first-responders but also pushes the vaccine out into the community as different groups begin getting their shots.
Thank you, Jefferson Regional, for hanging tough during these many dark months, and thank you for being there as the sun is starting to shine just a bit. We are fortunate to have you. Godspeed.