JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville received a shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine Thursday and began administering the shots to health care staff.
The clinic received about 3,000 doses and began vaccinations on a voluntary basis following the state and federal guidance, prioritizing hospital workers, emergency responders and long-term care staff, according to spokeswoman Tia Ford.
"All employees have been listed … according to their employment exposure risk. Employees working directly with COVID-19 patients will be vaccinated first," she said. "Mayo Clinic administrative leadership including CEO Dr. [Kent] Thielen, will receive the vaccine in a later phase.
The vaccine was developed by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, and approved for emergency use Friday by the Food and Drug Administration. The shipments began Monday as the country surpassed 300,000 deaths from the virus. Two days later, the death toll had topped 305,000, with 16.8 million cases nationwide.
UF Health Jacksonville was the first area hospital to get the Pfizer vaccine and began staff shots Monday. Naval Hospital Jacksonville followed Wednesday, with Ascension St. Vincent's scheduled to begin Thursday, Baptist Health on Friday and other area hospitals in the coming days.
A separate vaccine developed by Moderna is awaiting FDA approval.
Beth Reese Cravey: bcravey@jacksonville.com
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