Public health teams and first responders in Goodhue and Pierce counties received their first round of COVID-19 vaccinations on New Years Eve, local health departments announced.
The “Vaccinator Teams” for Goodhue County Health and Human Services got their shots Thursday, according to a news release. Those public health workers will then begin administering the vaccine to others in the community starting the first week in January.
Meanwhile in Pierce County, 60 EMS and pharmacy workers got their first dose of the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine by Moderna.
“This is a great way to end 2020,” said Dianne H-Robinson, Public Health nursing manager. “Vaccines are the way to a better, brighter 2021. We are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done this year to protect our community, and we look forward to continue leading our community through this pandemic.”
It will be months before vaccines are widely available to the general public. Health departments ask residents to be patient while health care workers and long-term care facilities get first dibs at the limited number of available vaccines.
At year’s end, Pierce County had more than 2,900 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 34 deaths. In Goodhue County, the case count surpassed 3,050 with 42 deaths.
