‘I Feel Fantastic’: Vaccinations Continue At Long-Term Care Facilities
Dec 29, 2020, 9:00 AM | Updated: 1:17 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – More of Utah’s most vulnerable population is getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
This new wave of the vaccine distribution started Monday for long-term care facilities, and KSL received an inside look Tuesday as residents and staff at The Ridge Senior Living off Foothill Drive started to get the vaccine.
“I feel fantastic and I’m so excited for this vaccine!” said resident Wendy Moench.
She said she laid awake in bed thinking about it.
“I couldn’t even sleep last night,” she said.
For Moench, and so many other residents at The Ridge Foothill, receiving the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is a game changer.
“We’ll be able to see our family, our friends, and have more contact with them,” said Moench, who refers to the last nine months as a real shock after living at The Ridge the last three years. “It’s been terrible. It’s been really hard on us to not be able to be with our family.”
After residents get the second dose of the vaccine, family interaction will gradually improve. Chief Operating Officer Mandy Hampton said it has been a long time coming – especially after outbreaks at their two locations.
“We had a fairly large outbreak in May, and we are in the middle of an outbreak at Cottonwood,” she said. “But things are getting better. We’ve had two rounds of testing with no additional cases.”
Monday, the Cottonwood location received the Moderna vaccine, and both locations will also be equipped with cutting edge technology that cleans the air and kills viruses, including COVID-19.
In addition to the vaccine, it gives residents and staff a sense of security.
“A lot of hope and a lot of relief,” Moench said. “A lot of relief.”