New sites sought, but hospital will continue

Dr. Mark Hirko, president of Sharon Hospital, said in a phone interview Friday, March 5, that the hospital does not plan to get out of the COVID-19 vaccination business. There had been rumors last week that hospitals would no longer be giving vaccinations. 

He did say that the hospital’s physical layout is not ideal for providing vaccinations to large numbers of people, and that the hospital staffers are stretched thin.

Hirko said that, since December, the hospital has provided 1,800 first doses and 1,100 second doses of vaccines, mostly the Moderna version.

Currently the hospital is working on the remaining second doses.

But with roughly 150,000 people in the vicinity still requiring vaccination, Hirko said, “We can’t be the point on this.”

Hirko said the hospital is willing to help set up vaccination sites elsewhere. “We need to look for a venue suitable for high volume.”

In the meantime, the hospital will also help provide vaccinations at schools, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities.

State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) said Friday, March 5 (by phone), that the immediate problem is an inadequate supply of vaccine.

She said there are about 130,000 doses available for about 500,000 newly eligible people. (It is worth noting that the vaccine situation is changing rapidly.) On Monday, March 1, the pool of eligible vaccine recipients grew to include the Over 55 age group, as well as teachers and health-care workers.

Horn said she expected the supply situation would be “alleviated” in the next two weeks.

She is working on setting up additional vaccine sites. “We went through this with testing,” she noted. 

She said independent pharmacies and even Lime Rock Park are in the mix as possible vaccination sites. 

Horn said she is in the newly eligible age group herself, and finally succeeded in getting an appointment in Danbury after the usual long wait times on hold and efforts to log into the registration websites, most of which crashed last week. 

“It’s deflating,” she acknowledged. “Life is so close to being different.”

A telephone operator for one of the registration services had theorized that this new age group has the largest number of computer savvy users, all of whom logged into the registration sites on March 1 at the same time.