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Wilmington , DE — Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center will begin COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, Dec. 22 following the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization for this vaccine. CONTACT: Jacob Dillon, Public Affairs Officer EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: 302-994-2511 x3589 | CELL: 302-299-3738 DATE: 

12/21/2020 WILMINGTON VA MEDICAL CENTER TO BEGIN COVID-19 VACCINE DISTRIBUTION WITH MODERNA  WILMINGTON, DEL — Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center will begin COVID-19 vaccination with

the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, Dec. 22 following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization for this vaccine. “Wilmington VA Medical Center is eager to offer

the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and Veterans in our community living center,” said Vince Kane, Director of Wilmington VA Medical Center. “Receiving the vaccine is like

having hope delivered. As vaccine supplies increase, our ultimate goal is to offer COVID-19 vaccination to all Veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated.” Wilmington VA Medical

Center is one of 113 VA Medical Centers across the country to receive the first limited supply of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Sites were identified based on need for the vaccine according

to CDC’s 1A prioritization and capacity to store the vaccine at -20◦C. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was 94 percent effective in clinical trials in preventing COVID-19 disease. The vaccine is

administered in two doses, 28 days apart. The side effects appear similar to those of other vaccines and are short-lived. Thirty-seven medical centers began offering the Pfizer-BioNTech

COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and Veterans Dec 14. Fifteen additional VA facilities will receive an allocation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine the week of Dec. 21. Even after

receiving COVID-19 vaccination, employees and Veterans should continue wearing face coverings, practicing physical distancing and washing hands often. As vaccines become available for more

groups of Veterans, VA care teams will reach out to eligible Veterans to schedule vaccinations. There is no need to preregister or come to a facility to sign up. Veterans can get up-to-date

information on VA’s VA COVID-19 vaccine webpage, which launched on Dec.11, and sign up to receive regular updates on the vaccine on the VA’s Stay Informed page. MORE INFORMATION Wilmington

VA Medical Center provides health care services to approximately 33,000 Veterans through its main medical center and five CBOCs in Delaware and southern New Jersey. For more information,

please visit www.wilmington.va.gov.