After nine long months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaiser Permanente Northern California is beginning to vaccinate its health care workers following the criteria set forth by national and state public health officials, the hospital chain announced this week.
Kaiser officials said that even though they expect the initial allocations to be very limited, they are working to ensure an equitable distribution based on those health care workers in areas with highest risk for exposure. As supplies become more plentiful, they expect to vaccinate more health care workers, prioritized by their roles, patient-facing and employee-facing activities, and risk of exposure.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer the vaccine to our frontline caregivers, who have sacrificed and worked tirelessly over the past nine months to care for their patients and the communities we serve,” said Chris Walker, MD, physician in chief for Kaiser Permanente in the Napa-Solano Area. “But let me just stress that receiving the vaccine does not mean we can let our guard down. We must still wear a mask, socially distance, wash our hands and avoid close contact with family and friends over the holidays.”
Nor Jemjemian, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente in the Napa-Solano Area, was appreciative of others, especially during the pandemic.
“We can’t thank our front line caregivers enough for all they have done this year,” Jemjemian said. “The pandemic has presented us all with immense challenges, and our team has risen to the occasion to provide excellent care to our community. We are exceptionally proud of them.”
Even as the vaccine is beginning to be provided to people in our communities, it is still critical for everyone to keep using all available methods to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, the news release stated.
“We are committed to educating our members, workforce, customers, and communities about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine and to promote understanding of how a vaccine — coupled with continued public health measures — can help control and ultimately bring about the end of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the release added.
