COVID-19 vaccinations begin at South Shore nursing homes

HINGHAM – South Shore long-term care centers have begun giving the COVID-19 vaccine to staff and residents, with plans to continue for the next several weeks.

At Harbor House Rehab and Nursing Center in Hingham, the clinics began Wednesday, with second doses of the vaccine scheduled in three weeks, said Nancy Zappolo, a registered nurse and vice president of care integration for Bane Care Management LLC in Norwell.

"The vaccine clinics in Massachusetts skilled nursing facilities are being run by the pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens," Zappolo said.

The Dwyer Home at Fairing Way in South Weymouth expects to receive the vaccine Jan. 11, Ken Strong, the administrator, said.

Some 75 percent of the Harbor House residents were vaccinated in the first clinic.

"We are very optimistic about maintaining that level or even higher," Zappolo said.

Few side effects were seen. In addition to soreness at the injection site, a couple of people reported mild headache and a brief “flushed” or dizziness sensation, Zappolo said.

“We are so excited to be starting the vaccination process and grateful that state and federal officials prioritized long-term care residents and staff for the first phase of distribution," Susan Jessup, executive director of Harbor House, said. "We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel."

According to the state health department's Dec. 31 report, 32,590 first doses of the vaccine were administered statewide in the previous seven days. Some 78,643 total first doses had been administered.

A total of 138,450 Pfizer doses and 146,600 Moderna doses have been shipped to Massachusetts. Some 11,725 doses had gone to Norfolk County and 11,750 doses to Plymouth County as of Thursday.

"The vaccine is given in two doses, and our understanding is there will be three clinics for each center to attempt to capture as many individuals as possible," Zappolo said.

The second dose is given about three weeks after the first. People begin to see some protection from the virus within two weeks after their first dose, according to clinical studies.

Residents and staff are included and the vaccine is voluntary, Zappolo said.

"We really hope to have a majority vaccination rate by the second clinic when some individuals will be getting their second dose and others their first," Zappolo said. A third CVS clinic may also be scheduled.

For residents unable to provide informed consent for themselves, Harbor House staff contacted their responsible party by telephone, email and/or postal mail. Information about the emergency-use authorization was provided, including potential side effects.

CVS brought several technicians to register people, check their consents, assess for any factors that might preclude someone from receiving the vaccine such as COVID-19 symptoms or recent vaccines for other diseases and then administered the vaccine.

Harbor House provided nurses to oversee the clinic and monitor for side effects, while making sure physical distancing, hand hygiene and other infection-control procedures were maintained.

BaneCare has four nursing centers on the South Shore with about 400 residents. They are Harbor House, Bay Path Rehab and Nursing in Duxbury, Hancock Park Rehab and Nursing in Quincy and John Scott Rehab in Braintree.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrived at South Shore Hospital on Dec. 15.

Although the rollout of the vaccine in Massachusetts has been slower than expected, Gov. Charlie Baker said last week that it is on track, with Massachusetts receiving about 300,000 doses of vaccine by the end of 2020, despite a "bumpy" rollout process.

"This is the largest rollout of a vaccination program in U.S. history, and it can't happen fast enough," Baker said.

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Baker said Massachusetts received about 86,000 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 146,000 of the Moderna vaccine, with an additional 68,000 first doses allocated to a long-term care vaccination program in partnership with CVS and Walgreens.

Baker said he had spoken to Moderna and Pfizer officials who "believe they will be able to deliver on their production schedules and their production requirements."

"Then our big challenge is going to be making sure that we have the capacity in the places and spaces we need it in Massachusetts to actually deliver the last mile, which is the actual shot in the arm, twice, to the people who are eligible for the vaccine," Baker said.

The program involves inoculating tens of thousands of residents, many of them frail or of advanced age, and their caregivers. Consent forms must be obtained from residents and from the guardians of those with dementia.

The vaccination campaign has three phases. Different demographic groups are given priority during the first two phases. The third phase, when the shots will become available to the general public, is expected to begin in April.

The first phase is expected to run through February.

Information from State House News Service was used in this report.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: COVID-19 vaccinations begin at South Shore nursing homes

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