The Good Samaritan Society’s chief medical officer says the majority of residents have received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Society is working hard to protect everyone living and working at its locations. Gregory Johnson, M.D., chief medical officer for the Good Samaritan Society, says vaccination clinics, operated by Walgreens and CVS, have taken place at centers across the country.
Watch now: Dr. Gregory Johnson’s Facebook Live Q&A
Priority populations
The first priority was to get health care workers and long-term care residents the COVID-19 vaccine. Since then, Dr. Johnson says the focus has shifted.
Dr. Johnson says a survey shows Society employees are also choosing to roll up their sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine. Many say they want to protect residents.
“This makes so much sense. It’s so safe and it’s helpful to you, your family and your patients,” Dr. Johnson says.
Immunity and variants
Once you get the vaccine, you should have immunity for at least several months, Dr. Johnson says.
Dr. Johnson is also addressing the presence of COVID-19 variants around the globe and how that could impact communities here in the United States.
“We’re seeing that it’s more transmissible. We don’t see that it has increased hospitalization or worse disease once people get it,” Dr. Johnson says. “We don’t have worry that the vaccine will not be useful with those infections.”
Turning a corner
Dr. Johnson says we are starting to turn a corner and there’s reason for excitement at Society locations.
“They’ll be some of the safest places. The highest concentration of COVID immunity in miles,” Dr. Johnson says.
Visitation guidelines are lifting in each state. Society staff will continue finding creative ways for residents to interact with their families.
“We didn’t have anything to hang our hope on toward the end of 2020. Now we have an end in sight. We’re working toward it. We’re all trying to take steps to getting back to normal,” Dr. Johnson says.
Learn more
- Society staff & residents in Minnesota get COVID-19 vaccine
- Good Samaritan Society staff get COVID-19 shot for residents
…
Posted In COVID-19, Expert Q&A, Immunizations, News, Senior Services
