Bladen County Hospital receives first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Cape Fear Valley Bladen County Hospital is the first in the Cape Fear region to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

The hospital received the 975 vials Tuesday morning.

Hospital gets the first shipment of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 15, 2020. (Photo: Cape Fear Valley Bladen Healthcare)

They will begin administering on Wednesday. Healthcare workers are the first in line to receive the vaccine.

Bladen County Hospital has about 300 employees.

President & CFO of Bladen Healthcare released the following statement:

“The questions and feedback we have received from the community has been mostly positive, but as healthcare workers, it is exciting and this represents the start of getting the pandemic behind us. As we are now 10 months into this pandemic and our staff have been working tirelessly to serve our patients and community. We are not requiring our staff to be vaccinated, but we are encouraging those who can to do so. Through the pandemic, the support from our community has been overwhelming and we are very grateful for their support. The best way we can show our support to the healthcare workers now is to stay safe by taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves and others.”

NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen says it could be well into the spring before the vaccine is widely available for North Carolinians.