Tampa Front-Line Nurse Heads To Front Of Line To Protect Children

TAMPA, FL — Registered nurse Deanna Myers didn't hesitate a second.

She was first in line Friday morning when BayCare Health began administering the newly approved coronavirus vaccine from the Moderna pharmaceutical company to staff members of the health care system, the largest in West Central Florida.

It had only been hours since a panel of health experts for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C., granted emergency use authorization for the Moderna vaccine, the same authorization the panel OK'd last week for the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer Pharmaceutical. Studies show both vaccines to be 95 percent effective.

Myers had both personal and professional reasons for making her way to the head of the line to get the vaccine.

She's spent the past 11 months working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic as a nurse in the Steinbrenner Pediatric Emergency Center at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa where she's worked 17 years.

More importantly, said Myers, she's the mother of four children including a son with chronic respiratory illness. By protecting herself, she said she's also protecting her children including her son who could become gravely ill if he contracts the coronavirus.

“I think it is very important to get this vaccine,” said Myers. "By doing this, I can protect him along with myself and my family. I also want to help other people realize that it’s important to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and come out of this pandemic.”

As proof of her commitment, Myers worked through the night Thursday into Friday morning before stopping by the one-day BayCare vaccination clinic to get her shot.

She gave a sigh of relief as BayCare’s manager of employee health, Milissa Sulick, stuck the needle containing the precious vaccine into her upper arm.

“BayCare has been working for months on plans to vaccinate team members and providers as quickly as we can,” said Kyle Barr, senior vice president and chief team resources for BayCare Health System. “We have leveraged resources across the system to vaccinate our staff according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, including clinical and nonclinical staff serving and caring for COVID-positive patients.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that doses of the Moderna vaccine would be distributed to BayCare as part of the first allocation of vaccines received at Tampa General Hospital earlier this week. (TGH is one of a handful of health facilities in Florida that has the equipment needed to store the vaccines at low temperatures.)

Florida is receiving 367,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, which DeSantis said will be distributed to 173 hospitals across 43 Florida counties.

Upon hearing the news from DeSantis, St. Joseph’s Hospital buzzed with excitement as pharmacists, nurses and administrators rushed to set up the one-day clinic before dawn, so they could deliver about 480 doses of the vaccine to front-line workers.

In addition to vaccinating staff and residents of long-term health-care facilities in Broward and Pinellas counties, DeSantis said doses of the Moderna vaccine will be distributed to 173 hospitals across 43 Florida counties in Florida to help protect those essential workers on the front line.

Following Friday's clinic, BayCare will set up one-day clinics at its other facilities during the coming week to ensure that vaccinations are evenly distributed across the health care system.

BayCare locations receiving the initial doses of the vaccine included St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor, Mease Dunedin Hospital, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview, South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City, Bartow Regional Medical Center and Winter Haven Hospital.

The health care provider expects to replenish its supply of vaccines in the next week or two, so it can continue the vaccination process.

Health experts say the newly developed vaccines show promise as new tools in the fight against the pandemic. Vaccines help a body produce antibodies that can fight off a specific disease and has two benefits: It helps prevent people from getting infected and, therefore, it can also help stop the spread of the disease.

Experts also believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine may help people from getting seriously ill even if they get infected.

“While we wish we could vaccinate everyone who wants this immediately, that just isn’t possible right now due to allotment restrictions,” said Dr. Nishant Anand, executive vice president and chief medical officer for BayCare. “We’re excited to have reached this milestone where vaccines are becoming available, but we still need to stay the course to help prevent further spread. Especially in the midst of the holidays, we encourage everyone to remain vigilant around mask wearing, social distancing and handwashing. And please stay home if you aren’t feeling well. That may be the best gift you can give to others this year.”

Here are the 173 hospitals that will receive the Moderna vaccines.

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