Fort Lee's Kenner Clinic receives first shipment of COVID vaccines. The shots begin Monday
The arrival was a bit of a surprise for post officials, who as early as Wednesday morning said they were unsure when they were coming.
FORT LEE — Kenner Army Health Clinic got a pre-New Year's Eve surprise Wednesday afternoon from the government — its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines.
Post officials said Thursday morning that an "initial shipment" of the Moderna vaccine was received at the clinic, not even a full day after telling The Progress-Index they did not know when it was coming. The exact number of vials was not immediately disclosed.
A second shipment of the vaccine is expected next week, and subsequent shipments will continue as long as Kenner has the need for them.
In the meantime, Kenner is not going to wait for thoseback-ups.
"Health care professionals will begin vaccinating selected personnel Monday," Fort Lee said in a statement.
The first group to roll up their sleeves Monday morning will be Kenner medical staff, as well as civilian and contract personnel with direct access to patient care. They will be followed by public-safety personnel and other mission-critical workers.
Military retirees will also be able to receive the vaccine from Kenner.
Kenner will be following the Defense Department's protocol for vaccination priorities, which are based on guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As the vaccination program progresses, Fort Lee said it is asking its personnel to be flexible in their time availability because schedules are subject to change.
Bill Atkinson (he/him) is the news director of The Progress-Index, located his hometown of Petersburg, Va. He is also the breaking-news coordinator and has been known to "nerd out" over political news coverage and history. Contact Bill at batkinson@progress-index.com, and follow him on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI, and subscribe to us at progress-index.com.