Beaumont employees receive the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine

ROYAL EIK, Mich. – A group of Beaumont Health Care Heroes received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday afternoon.

All health care providers who have received the vaccine fall into the 1A high priority group, meaning they have direct or indirect exposure to patients with COVID-19 or infectious materials.

“We are proud to finally be able to offer a vaccine to our teams. This virus has claimed too many lives and put enormous pressure on health workers and our healthcare systems around the world. We will do everything we can to encourage our staff to get vaccinated and end this pandemic. We are also working on plans to help the community get the vaccine once enough is available, ”said Carolyn Wilson, RN, Beaumont Health’s Chief Operating Officer.

Beaumont Health Director of Epidemiology and Infection Prevention Dr. Nick Gilpin was the first person to receive the vaccine at Beaumont Health.

“We have been waiting for the arrival of a vaccine since the start of the pandemic. I am convinced that this vaccine, and the others in development, will stop the spread of the virus and save lives. Yet I also know that it will take some time for the majority of the population to be vaccinated. In the meantime, it is critical that we all continue to wear masks and social distance, ”said Dr. Gilpin.

Beaumont Health leaders advised Dr. Gilpin and about 15 other health professionals in the 1A group with high priority to get the vaccine first. On Tuesday, Beaumont also launched a robust clinic to provide the vaccine to staff.

The health system received a total of 975 initial doses. All other Beaumont health professionals who met the high priority 1A criteria were randomly selected to receive an invitation to receive the vaccine. At the moment, Beaumont does not make the vaccine mandatory, so health professionals have the option to decline it.

All members of the first small group of Beaumont Health Care Heroes vaccinated will be invited to receive their second dose together at another event to be announced in a few weeks.

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 442,715 since Tuesday, including 10,935 deaths, state officials report.

Tuesday’s update features 4,730 new cases and 183 additional deaths, including 71 from a Vital Records review.

Michigan Medicine frontline workers also received the COVID-19 vaccine and shared their experiences.