ST. PETERSBURG, Fl. – As Covid-19 vaccinations are getting administered to veterans, we’re learning more about the process of how it will happen.
What You Need To Know
- VA Officials: Previous infection not considered when scheduling Vets’ vaccinations
- Tampa Bay Vas started vaccinating Vets this week
- Bay Pines VA vaccinating more than 134,000 in its health system
- SEE ALSO: DeSantis Signs Executive Order Mandating Vaccine Priority for Seniors 65 and Older
- More Coronavirus headlines
The first vaccinations for Tampa Bay vets started on Tuesday.
Vets living in VA care centers are first in line.
Still, many questions abound of who and when they’ll be able to get vaccinated.
For the latest update, the VA has an information site where you can sign up to stay informed.
Will veterans get a preference when it comes to the vaccine and what happens if a vet has already recovered from coronavirus?
The VA is following CDC Guidelines which dictate elderly vets in VA living facilities go first, along with their health care staff.
The rest of the VA population goes next.
Bay Pines vA Associate Director Jonathan Benoit, a former naval officer is in charge of the health system’s Covid-19 response.
He said vets who've been previously infected will not be sent to the back of the line.
“If someone had past Covid positive infection but they fit where we are in the category, they are as eligible as anyone else."
The Bay Pines VA vaccination schedule is busy for the foreseeable weeks if not months.
Roughly, they have 130,000 enrolled veterans in their system and 4,600 employees.
Their health system stretches from Pinellas County down to Naples, in Collier County.
The facility in Fort Myers sees about 40,000 vets a year.
Benoit said the vaccinations are voluntary or opt-in for everyone involved.
And they’ll vaccinate as many as they can with the vaccine allocation they have available.
Bay Pines VA Chief of Staff Dr. Amin Elamin explained the shots will be given in a rotation for the next few weeks.
“We are not vaccinating everyone in one place,” said Dr. Elamin. “For example our staff working in the Emergency Room will not all receive the vaccine in a day or two of each other. We have to spread them around, just in case there's a side effect."
Tampa's James A. Haley VA officials said for vets not living in care centers, there's no need to preregister or come to a facility to sign up.
Vets can contact a primary care provider if they have one or call the VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center toll-free at 1-877-741-3400.
