BUCYRUS—Avita Health System received 300 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Monday morning and started vaccinating frontline employees on Tuesday.

“The first group of employees to receive the vaccine were those with the highest exposure to COVID patients,” explained Jerry Morasko, CEO/President of Avita Health System. “This includes our physicians, advanced practice providers, respiratory therapists, inpatient nursing, and the emergency departments.”

Each Avita hospital – Bucyrus, Galion, and Ontario – received 100 doses of the Moderna vaccine. Within the first 48 hours of vaccinating employees, 90 percent of the doses had been administered.

“We’ve had vaccination plans in place for weeks, so we were prepared to quickly and methodically vaccinate our employees once we had the vaccines in hand,” added Morasko.

With over 2,000 employees, Avita received enough doses this week to vaccinate 15 percent of its staff. An additional 300 doses have been allocated by the Ohio Department of Health and are expected to be delivered next week.

“Since we haven’t received nearly enough vaccines for all of our employees, we are using a 7-Tier Vaccination Plan to prioritize vaccinations and ensure the community has 24/7 access to safe, quality care,” said Morasko. “Our employees have been caring for COVID patients for most of 2020 and have witnessed the effects of this virus first hand. We are excited to now have a vaccine that is a safe, effective resource to fight COVID-19.”