PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Employees at Northern Light A.R. Gould on Wednesday were the first in Aroostook County to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, a watershed moment for a region that has recently seen a large uptick in coronavirus cases.
In an evening clinic, 80 employees received the first of two doses of the vaccine, communications manager Karen Gonya said. More employees will receive shots on Saturday morning.
Everyone who was vaccinated will need a second dose in about three weeks, as is required for the vaccine to be completely effective.
Hospital President Greg LaFrancois said the vaccinations were an exciting moment for staff after many months of caring for those with the deadly virus.
“Over the past year, they have been working so hard to treat those stricken with COVID-19,” LaFrancois said. “Today was the first step in taking the battle directly to the disease. “
As Aroostook County residents joined the rest of the country in the long process of vaccinations to stop the spread of a virus that has killed more than 300,000 Americans, LaFrancois said his staff was “leading the charge” toward immunity.
The hospital became the first in Aroostook County, and was among the first in Maine, to receive a shipment of the vaccine on Tuesday, days after it was approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday. The hospital received 975 doses, 565 of which were reserved for A.R. Gould.
A Northern Light A.R. Gould hospital employee prepares to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. (Courtesy of Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital)
A.R. Gould employees were to receive the vaccine in a tiered system, with those at highest risk of being exposed to the virus — including the specialty intensive care unit and emergency department — receiving the first doses.
Residents at the Northern Light Continuing Care facility in Mars Hill were administered the vaccine on Thursday, Gonya said. Nursing homes have seen countless casualties during the COVID-19 pandemic, with five residents dying in a recent outbreak at Presque Isle Rehab and Nursing Center.
COVID-19 cases continue to rise across Aroostook County, which currently has 216 active coronavirus cases, according to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data. Aroostook’s active case rate is the 10th highest of Maine’s 16 counties.
