Belmont Gardens residents to receive COVID vaccine

Published 4:28 pm Thursday, January 21, 2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, seniors have been the most vulnerable.

The push to get the vaccine out to them has been a top priority and, on Friday, residents at Belmont Gardens, a licensed personal care home, will receive the first of the two doses that will give them an added layer of protection they need from the virus.

Dr. Dan Edney, who is a doctor at Medical Associates of Vicksburg and who has served on the governor’s COVID-19 task force, said the vaccines residents will be receiving at Belmont Gardens are separate from those the general public has been receiving.

“These vaccines are from the Long Term Care Vaccination Program,” he said, which is a program designed by the Federal Government.

“The government contracted with Walgreens and CVS to vaccinate all the nursing homes,” he said. “The government actually assigned a single dose for every nursing home resident and every employee. So the nursing homes have been waiting for those two entities to go and vaccinate the residents.”

The rollout by CVS and Walgreens has not been as speedy as one would have hoped, Edney said. A lack of manpower has slowed distribution.

“They have been using pharmacists who have their state licenses to give the vaccine and there are not that many of them. What they (the government) should have done was like with the flu shot — let the nursing homes have the staff that could have administered the shot give it,” he said. “We should have had the nursing homes vaccinated back in November.”

While there have been delays in vaccinating those who live in extended living facilities, Edney said, by Friday, all the local nursing homes should be caught up with their vaccines.

Edney said the nursing home and assisted living residents at Heritage House were vaccinated a week or so ago.

“We’re getting there,” he said.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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