Atrium Health Vaccinates Dozens of COVID-19 Vaccinators

Today, Atrium Health vaccinated dozens of vaccinators who will administer the COVID-19 vaccines to frontline, high priority employees.  

The group includes an estimated 60-70 professional, experienced health care providers who have volunteered to be COVID-19 vaccinators, in addition to their regular roles at Atrium Health. The volunteers work across multiple departments at Atrium Health, including pharmacy, clinical informatics, quality, teammate health, resources and nursing professional development.  

Atrium Health decided to vaccinate this specific group today as they will be crucial resources in fighting the pandemic. It is essential to have sufficient resources allocated to administering vaccines before hundreds of employees a day are scheduled to receive it.  

The vaccinators need to be protected due to their potential exposure with high-risk front-line employees during the administration of the vaccine. Since the first wave of employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine are those who are have the greatest exposure to the virus, the vaccinators need to be protected as they interact with them.  

On Monday, December 14, Atrium Health administered its first 20 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to teammates. On Tuesday, the healthcare system focused on operational details pending the widespread distribution of the vaccine. Extensive planning, education and training was executed by multiple task forces who are instrumental in the safe and effective distribution of the vaccine.   

It is crucial that every Atrium Health employee involved in the COVID-19 vaccine clinics are thoroughly trained in all quality and safety measures, including the proper storage and handling of the agent, especially as each vaccine comes with its own attributes and different characteristics.