From COVID-19

We have a team that created a distribution plan several weeks in advance of the first arrival of the coronavirus vaccine. The team swiftly launched a vaccination schedule for those associates who opted in. Vaccination is not mandatory for Health First associates.

Registration will open at HF.org/staywell when the next supply of vaccines is available. Please continue to check this page for important updates and registration information.

View the vaccine patient information letter

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are similar and use a new (and what appears to be more effective) technology to produce antibodies to the spike protein of the virus internally rather than injecting the antigen directly, such as with the influenza vaccine. Both vaccines require a second dose separated by three or four weeks, respectively.

Download the COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech Vaccine EUA Fact Sheet

Download the COVID-19 Moderna Vaccine EUA Fact Sheet

Data from the clinical trials of the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine both showed an approximate 95% effectiveness in prevention of the COVID-19 illness. That makes them among the most effective vaccines for any infectious disease.

A longstanding and independent group, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on new vaccines, has recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective. It is not a live vaccine, and there is no chance of contracting COVID-19 from the vaccination. Anyone with a history of multiple or significant allergic reactions to medications may wish to consider declining the vaccine until further information is available about safety in this group.

All vaccines come with the potential for some side effects. The most common are feelings of malaise, fever, chills and soreness at the injection site. Data from the clinical trials indicate that if there are side effects, they are short-lived in patients that report them. Because of the rare potential of an allergic reaction, as with any vaccine, we will observe recipients for a short period after receiving the vaccine. And, of course, at Health First, we have the most qualified staff to manage any side effects.

Learn more about the most common side effects of the vaccine

Yes, please continue to wear your mask when out in public or around people who don't live in your immediate household.. Though we know that the vaccine prevents the disease (COVID-19), we do not know yet whether it prevents asymptomatic infection and the potential to spread the virus to others. Preliminary data from trials on the AstraZeneca vaccine indicate that it may not entirely prevent asymptomatic carriage of the virus. However, with widespread adoption of the vaccine, we look forward to the day when we become maskless at Health First.

The only absolute contraindication is a history of severe allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) to any component of the vaccine. Anyone with a history of multiple or significant allergic reactions to medications may wish to consider declining the vaccine until further information is available about safety in this group.

There is currently no data available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy. However, observational data demonstrates that while the absolute risk is low, pregnant individuals have an increased risk of severe illness. Some professional societies have recommended immunization if pregnant. This will be an individual decision on the part of the recipient at Health First.

As noted by the CDC: "There are no data on the safety of COVID-19 in lactating people or the effects of mRNA vaccines on the breastfed infant or milk production/excretion. mRNA vaccines are not thought to be a risk to the breastfeeding infant. A lactating person who is part of a group recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (e.g., healthcare personnel) may choose to be vaccinated."

We are accepting patients who have cancer or are undergoing cancer treatments as long as the components of the vaccine do not interfere with your current diagnosis or treatments. The current CDC recommendations around vaccination do not mention cancer but do discuss immunocompromised individuals. They state: "Immunocompromised individuals may still receive COVID-19 vaccination if they have no contraindications to vaccination. However, they should be counseled about the unknown vaccine safety profile and effectiveness in immunocompromised populations, as well as the potential for reduced immune responses and the need to continue to follow all current guidance to protect themselves against COVID-19." The expert panel noted that while some immunocompromised patients may experience decreased response to the vaccine, it may still confer some benefit and is important to reduce the risk or severity of COVID-19 to cancer patients, especially given recent evidence of higher rates of severe infection. Further information on the vaccines can be found on the CDC website.

At this time, patients with cancer may be offered vaccination against COVID-19 as long as components of that vaccine are not contraindicated. The current CDC recommendations around vaccination do not mention cancer but do discuss immunocompromised individuals. They state: "Immunocompromised individuals may still receive COVID-19 vaccination if they have no contraindications to vaccination. However, they should be counseled about the unknown vaccine safety profile and effectiveness in immunocompromised populations, as well as the potential for reduced immune responses and the need to continue to follow all current guidance to protect themselves against COVID-19." The expert panel noted that while some immunocompromised patients may experience decreased response to the vaccine, it may still confer some benefit and is important to reduce the risk or severity of COVID-19 to cancer patients, especially given recent evidence of higher rates of severe infection. Further information on the vaccines can be found on the CDC website.

At this time, patients undergoing treatment may be offered vaccination against COVID-19 as long as any components of the vaccine are not contraindicated. Oncologists have experience providing other types of vaccines to patients receiving treatment for cancer, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy or stem cell transplantation. Strategies such as providing the vaccine in between cycles of therapy and after appropriate waiting periods for patients receiving stem cell transplants and immune globulin treatment can be used to reduce the risks while maintaining the efficacy of vaccination.

If the patient is in remission, they should consider vaccination as well.

Further information on the vaccines can be found on the CDC Website.

The vaccines will be available to our community at no cost.

As a not-for-profit, Health First is a community-owned healthcare system. There are no shareholders, and any incomes above revenues received for care are invested back into our facilities to improve and upgrade services to better care for our community. As a charitable organization, Health First hospitals care for everyone in our community who need our services, including those who cannot pay for their care. While we cannot provide answers regarding the rollout of vaccines by other healthcare providers, at Health First, COVID-19 vaccines are currently available to our community at no cost. We believe this is imperative in the fight against this public health crisis, for the wellness and health of our overall community.

Health First is following the directives of the State of Florida, per the orders of Governor Ron DeSantis, as well as the Florida Department of Health.

Health First has a dedicated COVID-19 Task Force, which has been proactively preparing for COVID-19 vaccinations prior to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Emergency Use Authorizations for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Our goal is to administer them as quickly as possible, once we receive shipments. We have already vaccinated 1,931 community members ages 65 and up, as well as securing their registration for second doses. We continue to work with state and local leaders to secure future vaccine shipments and have a plan in place to swiftly administer these vaccines within hours of receiving them. While we don't know when the next shipment is coming, Health First has a plan in place to administer vaccinations to the most vulnerable members of our community in the safest way possible.

We are not able to make any medical exceptions at this point as we are following the directives of the State of Florida, per the orders of Governor Ron DeSantis, as well as the Florida Department of Health.

Health First received 5,600 Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in late December for the initial immunization of healthcare workers and others within our system. The second round of doses in the series have arrived for this group. We have also secured 1,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccines, which were administered to community members ages 65 and up, as well as healthcare providers with direct patient contact. We are expecting another shipment to complete the second round of immunizations for these community members.

Health First has also purchased two ultra-cold freezers, which can each store a little more than 20,000 doses at minus-70 degrees, which is needed for longer-term storage of the Pfizer vaccine (though doses received thus far have been quickly administered). Each unit is equipped with an alarm as a safeguard, to alert medical staffers if internal temperatures rise too high.

Health First is diligently working to ensure we have not only the staffing but the facilities to care for patients when or if COVID-19 cases rise. While ICU numbers are updated daily and tend to fluctuate, the community should be reassured that we have retrofitted more than 200 patient rooms across Health First's four hospitals to serve as negative-pressure rooms, a $2 million project. These rooms exist and are designed to fully protect patients and the general public from the spread of infectious diseases.

A negative pressure room uses lower air pressure to allow outside air into the segregated environment. This traps and keeps potentially harmful particles within the negative pressure room by preventing internal air from leaving the space. Negative pressure rooms in hospitals isolate patients with infectious conditions and protect everyone else from potential exposure.

Health First's clinical and nonclinical workers have been tirelessly working to care for our community during this pandemic. In addition to clinical workers volunteering to care for COVID-19 patients, many have volunteered to assist in vaccination efforts. This includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other medical workers, and also nonclinical staff who have stepped up to register and check in vaccine recipients at vaccination sites. Our more than 9,000 providers and associates are doing all they can to deliver the community the compassionate, high-quality care they need - especially during these trying times.

We have been planning our COVID-19 response even before the pandemic appeared in the U.S. In addition to mandatory masking, temperature checks, social distancing and other safeguards, we have been preparing for worst-case scenarios, which is something embedded in our culture. We are prepared and have had zero waste during vaccinations thus far, and our COVID-19 Task Force continues to regularly meet to map out the best possible path to safeguarding Brevard. We are eager to continue vaccinating the community to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and eventually put an end to this pandemic.

Please check it frequently, as this is where registrations for future vaccinations will occur.
Health First also offers a free COVID-19 Information Line.
Call 321.434.3636 to access general COVID-19 information, and to get connected to a variety of Health First facilities and services.