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Inside a nursing home's COVID-19 vaccine clinic with hope, relief and a few doubts

The Patriot Ledger - 1/13/2021

WEYMOUTH – At age 104, Marion Temme has had her share of shots in the arm.

On Monday, she sat expectantly in the doorway of her room at The Dwyer Home, one in a lineup of residents waiting for their first COVID-19 vaccination.

"This is a good thing, the beginning of the end of a lot of worries, " Ken Strong, the nursing home's administrator, said. "We are hoping this is the beginning of the end and we can get back to a normal life sometime in the fall."

As the pharmacy team from Walgreens rolled down the corridors with its Pfizer vaccine cart, pharmacist Abimbola Olagunji, of Stoughton, greeted Temme and asked, "Are you excited?"

Temme pointed to her left arm and then took the inoculation without a move or a sound.

"She didn't even flinch," said a nurse, who noted Temme had a military background.

"Good job!" Olagunji said, something she would tell all the residents she vaccinated.

With a warm and personable manner, Olagunji, who works at the Walgreens in Randolph, put the residents at ease.

When she entered the room of Inez Brown, Brown smiled in delight at how tall she was – Olagunji plays serious volleyball – and asked, "Did you bring my shot? I hope that needle is sharp!"

"Ow," she said softly a minute later.

It was a big day at the home, where 39 residents and 56 staff members were vaccinated at the first of three clinics. The visit had been anticipated for several weeks.

The home's dining room was turned into the inoculation clinic for the staff, who arrived in staggered order at 10 a.m. and followed a path in and out of the room to keep their distance. By noon, it was time to begin the rounds of the residents.

"I feel really hopeful for the first time," Strong said. "We've been dealing with this for a year now, and trying to keep people safe has been a big burden on my shoulders. There isn't a day that goes by I don't wonder if I am doing the right thing and keeping people safe. This is a big jump forward in reducing strain and stress."

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About 20 of the 90 employees and two of the 41 residents decided to wait for the second clinic on Feb. 2 to decide if they would take the vaccine, which is voluntary.

"The trick is to convince someone this is the safe thing to do," Strong said.

Marcia Astuto, the home's infection control nurse, staff educator and supervisor, said she reached out individually to staff and family members to answer questions and address misconceptions on social media. The staff held several meetings to explain the vaccine's purpose, safety issues, effectiveness and any reactions they might anticipate.

Strong and Astuto were among the staff getting the first shots Monday.

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The Pfizer vaccine was stored in a special freezer at Walgreens to keep it at the required temperature. It was taken out the night before the clinic so it could thaw and then be reconstituted that morning, Olagunji said.

"Once they see the results of the first round today, and see that none of the weird things social media says is going to happen do happen, we hope more will decide to sign up," Strong said.

Staff concerns have included the fast-track development of the vaccine compared to other vaccines in the past, and how it had been approved by the federal government on an emergency basis.

"Some are taking a wait-and-see attitude," Astuto said.

Resident Carole L. Smith is 81 and has been at The Dwyer Home more than four years. She is president of the residents council.

"With the COVID, everyone is kind of jumpy," Smith said. "Once we receive the shot, hopefully things can eventually go back to normal and we can resume our activities and have relatives come and visit outside."

"I can't wait to get the vaccine," Astuto said. "The overwhelming response has been positive, though some are a little nervous."

Lexi Nash acted as the coordinator for the Walgreens clinic.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Inside a nursing home's COVID-19 vaccine clinic with hope, relief and a few doubts

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