Plessen Urgent Care located in Sunny Isles has been chosen as one of only three distribution sites on St. Croix for the COVID-19 vaccine.
In the first wave of national vaccine distribution, there are 636 participating distribution sites across the U.S. and its territories. Vaccines in the U.S. Virgin Islands will be provided to recipient groups as directed by the V.I. Department of Health.
While the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), The FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to permit its emergency use for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older. The safety of The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was evaluated in two clinical studies with a total of 44,000 participants conducted in the United States, Europe, Turkey, South Africa and South America.
The Plessen medical staff has been training and developing protocols to be ready to administer the vaccine upon arrival to an anticipated 100 patients per day. “This is one of the main purposes of Urgent Care. We have a seasoned and experienced staff at Plessen Urgent Care, and we stand ready to administer the vaccine while maintaining important safety standards,” said Rodger Melton, clinical manager and family nurse practitioner.
In advance of participating with Operation Warp Speed, Plessen Healthcare LLC invested in a specialized ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezer and flew in a skilled engineer to facilitate installation. Upgrades to the electrical backup system at the facility were also made.
Plessen Urgent Care is one of only a few locations in the territory that has a ULT freezer, which makes the medical group a vital contributor to the success of the operation.
Operation Warp Speed is an effort led by several U.S. government agencies and public partnerships to move the development, manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic through the United States and its territories. Local partners on St. Croix involved in the mission include FEMA, The Virgin Islands National Guard (VING), VITEMA, the V.I. Department of Health, Plessen Healthcare LLC, Frederiksted Health Care Inc., and Community Health Services at the Charles Harwood Complex.
“We are honored and excited to be a part of Operation Warp Speed which began distributing the vaccine nationwide within hours of its emergency use approval. I think this will be a big step forward in order for us to get to the other side of this pandemic and a healthier 2021. We need to take this important action to make sure all of us are safe,” said Dr. Jan B Tawakol, CEO of Plessen Healthcare LLC. “At this time and place in our history, Plessen Healthcare is proud to be a part of the endeavor to bring positive change to our community.”
Upon receipt of the vaccine at Plessen Urgent Care Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, Dr. Tawakol will be the first medical professional to receive a dose of the vaccine. He plans to chronicle his experience via a daily video diary posted to the www.plessenhealthcare.com website and via social media.
