Lowell General Begins Vaccinating Staff For Coronavirus

LOWELL, MA — Lowell General Hospital vaccinated its first five staff members Tuesday afternoon, the hospital said.

Lowell General received 1,950 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The hospital will begin vaccination clinics for frontline staff Wednesday. More than 900 have already signed up to get vaccinated.

Infectious disease chief Dr. David Sidebottom received the hospital's first vaccine, from occupational health nurse Alison Faulhaber.

"The arrival of a vaccine is a true turning point in our fight against this pandemic and I could not be happier for our staff, whose work has been nothing short of heroic over the last nine months," Lowell General CEO Jody White said.

The hospital will give as many staff as possible their first dose using the first shipment. Each staff member will receive their second dose about three weeks later.

"While this provides us hope that better days are ahead, we urge our community to continue to practice safety measures until we have this virus under control," White said. "If we continue to mask, social distance, wash your hands and avoid large gatherings, we will begin to see the light at the end of this tunnel."

The first vaccinations will go to staff in contact with coronavirus patients, a hospital spokesman said Monday.

The vaccinations are part of initial U.S. distribution, which will continue into 2021 and will eventually be used to treat the public.

Those who receive the vaccine must be monitored for 15 minutes to monitor any allergic reactions, which is why many hospitals are limiting the vaccinations to about 100 per hour.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.