November 01, 2024
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COVID-19 vaccine arrives at KSB Hospital in Dixon

By Rachel Rodgers
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KSB respiratory therapist Jeremy Toms receives the first COVID-19 vaccine injection from Cam Peterson, RN, Wednesday afternoon at the Dixon hospital. Toms who stayed COVID free while working at the hospital says he was a little nervous but optimistic of the new vaccine. Peterson who is an employee health nurse, has been working hard with her staff this week to prepare for the vaccinations and is seeing lots of happy employees. The hospital will vaccinate 10-12 front line workers an hour to get through their allotment of 200 vaccinations. (Alex T)

DIXON – KSB Hospital received its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday and began administering it to frontline workers most at risk.

Illinois is receiving 109,000 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in the first round of shipments, to be administered to health care workers and residents in long-term facilities. The state started deliveries this week to the 50 counties with the highest rate of coronavirus death per capita, which includes Whiteside, Ogle and Carroll counties.

Lee County isn't on the list, but KSB serves residents and operates two clinics in Ogle County, so health department Administrator Kyle Auman earmarked 200 doses for the hospital, KSB infection preventionist Heather Smith said.

KSB employees were categorized into three tiers with Tier 1 including highest-risk, frontline staff such as those working in the ER, ICU, and COVID-19 floor.

"When Lee County receives their designated vaccinations, we will proceed with vaccination Tiers 2 and 3 here at KSB," Smith said.

Respiratory therapist Jeremy Toms was the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, and employee health nurse Cam Peterson said they plan to vaccinate 10 to 12 employees every hour until they've used all the doses.

The vaccine is reported to be effective in 95% of the people who receive it, and in 94% of people older than 65. It requires two doses, the second of which is to be administered 3 to 4 weeks later.

"This week’s arrival of the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine is welcome news for the frontline health care workers and first responders in the Sauk Valley," KSB spokesman Kevin Marx said.

"Along with their personal protective equipment, the immunity generated by the vaccine will help them to continue to care for the sickest of the COVID patients as community vaccinations ramp up over the next few months, and, hopefully, reduce the number of area residents requiring inpatient hospital care for this illness."

The state created a five-phase system to distribute the vaccine to health care workers, long term care residents, essential workers in other industries, people with existing health risks, and then the general public.

Marx said the vaccine likely won't be available to the general public until at least mid-February, based on the most recent information available.

"Since the actual supply of the vaccine will vary based on the manufacturing capabilities of the pharmaceutical companies, and the distribution is impacted by real time disease spread in the state’s 11 regions, it is difficult to predict when the vaccine will be available to any of the designated groups," he said.

"But in the meantime, KSB Hospital is working with the Lee County Health Department and other regional partners in the design and administration of a plan so that as supplies become available, there is a system to get the vaccine into the arms of the local residents that want it."

Whiteside County's 465 doses arrived Wednesday afternoon; 400 were slated for CGH Medical Center in Sterling and 65 for Morrison Community Hospital.

Health care workers at CGH were to begin to get their inoculations at 6 this morning, hospital spokeswoman Dana McCoy said in an email Wednesday afternoon.

Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties are part of Rockford Region 1, which also includes Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Stephenson and Winnebago counties.