WILLEMSTAD - Hope comes in many forms and on Thursday, February 25, it arrived at Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) in the form of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. The historic delivery was greeted by Gilbert Martina, CMC's Interim CEO, and Dr. Jeanne Koeiers, Intensivist and President of Outbreak Management Team (OMT), Dr. van der Huls, Director of ARBO at CMC and Dr. Sandra Cova (Hyperbaric Medicine Specialist & Head of CMC's Emergency Response Team). We refer to the first 300 of 882 vaccines destined for CMC. GGZ is responsible for storing, thawing, and delivering the required amount of CMC according to all safety procedures on the designated vaccination days.
Yesterday, two members of the CMC healthcare team, Dr. Vanessa Marcha (gynecologist) and Roshendly Martina (emergency room nurse), were among the first members of our community to receive the vaccine at SEHOS, along with several other influencers. Today CMC has started the process for the rest of its health workers. “We've treated some of the first COVID-19 patients, so we've been literally on the front line since the start of the pandemic. We have seen pain, grief and also despair in patients and their relatives,” said Roshendly.
CMC has initiated an intensive vaccination process for its front-line personnel at high risk of encountering COVID-19 patients. The hospital plans to vaccinate up to 300 members of this group as of today and expects to vaccinate between 600 and 700 staff members over the next three weeks, including the required second booster 17 to 21 days after the first dose.
In the initial phase and in accordance with the Ministry of Health guidelines, the COVID-19 vaccines administered at the Curacao Medical Center will be available only to CMC physicians and personnel at greatest risk of COVID-19 exposure in the workplace. As vaccinations become more widely available, CMC can also provide vaccinations to all its team members according to GGZ guidelines. "All of our preparations are now being put into practice and we hope that in the coming months we will see the benefits of the vaccine, along with enforcing safety measures such as wearing masks, exercising with physical distance and following hand hygiene recommendations," says Dr. Koeijers.