Providence Care has confirmed that some staff members have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine today. The vaccination occurred at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), with several long term care homes participating. KHSC is currently one of the only vaccine dispensers in Southeastern Ontario.
“We can confirm the first round of Providence Manor staff received their initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this afternoon. The vaccine gives them hope and helps lift some of the weight off their shoulders,” said Cathy Szabo, Providence Care President & CEO. “Providence Manor teams have been working tirelessly for almost a year now, implementing and following ever-evolving infection prevention guidelines to not only protect themselves but also keep our residents safe.”
Szabo emphasized that their staff have been at the centre of the effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the long term care homes and is immensely grateful. “Our staff is the reason why we have been able to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our long-term care home, and I cannot thank them enough for everything they are doing. We know there is still a lot more work to do and we cannot let our guard down,” said Szabo.
While only staff members are receiving vaccines, planes are under way to rollout the vaccines to residents and essential caregivers. “At this time only Providence Manor staff has been designated to receive the vaccine, as per the province’s recommendation, but we are working closely with KFL&A Public Health and Kingston Health Sciences Centre to finalize plans to get residents and essential caregivers vaccinated too, as soon as possible,” wrote Szabo.
