Hundreds of nurses specializing in the provision of dialysis treatments for patients with chronic renal failure (CKD) were vaccinated today against Covid-19 with the Pfizer vaccine.
The mass vaccination came after the Department of Health accepted the recommendation of the head of the Atlantis Health Care group to update the essential staff who treat CKD cases at A-1, making Puerto Rico the first jurisdiction in the country to prioritize that condition.
The president of the Atlantis Health Care Group in Puerto Rico, Dr. Rubette Harford, said that “the vaccination process against Covid-19 will take place in stages in all our clinics, starting first with the medical staff who provide direct care to patients. patients. We will then continue with biomedical staff, dietitians, social workers and maintenance staff to ensure that dialysis services continue to be provided without interruption. “
As he explained, the centers located in Carolina, Aguadilla and Ponce will be used as a base for the administration of the first 400 vaccines to staff working in these clinics or in those close to each of the aforementioned regions.
“The specialized management plan that was developed considers the administration of the vaccine in a staggered manner, it is understood that not all staff of a clinic will receive the vaccine on the same day. This will allow us to properly monitor and take the necessary action in case an employee has an adverse reaction. In addition, we can ensure the continuity of essential service for patients with kidney failure, “said Dr. Harford.
Atlantis Health Care Group has approximately 700 employees working in 16 dialysis units located throughout the island and all have the accreditations of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Puerto Rican Department of Health for the process. vaccination.
“We thank the Department of Health for the speed with which it responded to our statement, because patients diagnosed with chronic renal failure have a very compromised immune system, which is why they are extremely vulnerable to infections. In fact, 22% of patients who received treatment in our clinics and tested positive for Covid-19 could not overcome the virus. We hope that this vaccine will help stop the spread of the coronavirus and that, in the near future, we will be able to return to normal “, concluded the president of Atlantis.