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Lexington long-term facility looks ahead to vaccine

Posted at 12:01 AM, Dec 10, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-10 00:04:12-05

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It's now been over two weeks since a new positive case of COVID-19 was reported at Sayre Health Care Center.

The long-term healthcare facility can now start to reintroduce some sense of normalcy for residents after a devastating couple of months where 93 residents tested positive for the virus and seven residents died.

"We were able to dismantle that COVID unit...use our normal entrance to the facility," said Karen Venis, Sayre Christian Village CEO.

Window visits are now allowed again after weeks where family members could only see their loved ones virtually.

There is hope moving forward, Venis said, especially with the potential for Kentucky to receive its first shipments of vaccine next week.

"We're so thankful that we are in the first phase of distribution for those vaccines and we're just anxious to roll our sleeves up and get these vaccines into our arms and in the arms of our residents," she said.

The facility has partnered with CVS Pharmacy, she said, to administer the vaccine.

Once vaccine shipments are confirmed, Sayre will receive a call to schedule a day for the first dose to be given to residents and staff, Venis said.

Then, another date will be scheduled a few weeks out for the second dose. The process could be completed in just a matter of weeks, she said.

"It's giving them a sense of hope that they might be able to reconnect with their loved ones in a way that they're used to prior to COVID," Venis said of residents.