Battle Creek VA Medical Center begins COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Battle Creek VA Medical Center (VAMC) will begin COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, December 23, 2020, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization for this vaccine.

The delivery of the vaccine was slightly delayed on Wednesday, but a spokesman indicated that the first employee in Building 6 would be vaccinated around noon on Wednesday,.

“Battle Creek VAMC is eager to offer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and Community Living Center resident,” said Michelle Martin, Medical Center Director. “Receiving the vaccine is like having hope delivered. As vaccine supplies increase, our ultimate goal is to offer COVID-19 vaccination to all Veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated.”

Battle Creek VAMC is one of 113 VA Medical Centers across the country to receive the first limited supply of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Sites were identified based on need for the vaccine according to CDC’s 1A prioritization and capacity to  store the vaccine at -20^◦C.

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was 94 percent effective in clinical trials in preventing COVID-19 disease. The vaccine is administered in two doses, 28 days apart. The side effects appear similar to those of other vaccines and are short-lived.

Thirty-seven medical centers began offering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and Veterans Dec 14, 2020. Fifteen additional VA facilities will receive an allocation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine the week of December 21.

Even after receiving COVID-19 vaccination, employees and Veterans should continue wearing face coverings, practicing physical distancing and washing hands often.

As vaccines become available for more groups of Veterans, VA care teams will reach out to eligible Veterans to schedule vaccinations. There is no need to preregister or come to a facility to sign up.

Veterans can get up-to-date information on VA’s VA COVID-19 vaccine webpage, which launched on December 11, 2020, and sign up to receive regular updates on the vaccine on the VA’s Stay Informed page.