Hundreds of Residents Get the COVID Vaccine in a NC Retirement Community

American’s confidence to get the COVID-19 vaccine rose to 60% according to a recent poll from Pew Research Center. But at the SearStone Retirement Community Center in Cary, North Carolina, 100% of the residents turned out to get the vaccine early Monday.

“This is probably the most important day of 2020 for us,” said Derrick Moore, the executive director of SearStone, according to The News & Observer. Moore said he learned two weeks ago that his facility would receive the Moderna vaccine which does not require the dramatically low temperatures to store like the Pfizer vaccine. He said the residents were enthusiastic about the news.

“They’re all taking it,” he said, adding that the 350 residents were excited about getting the shot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the Moderna vaccine requires two doses given 28 days apart into the muscles of the arm and has been shown in clinical trials to be 94.1% effective in combating the virus.

Moore received his shot and reported no side effects Monday although experts say that reactions to the vaccines can occur within 48 hours but clear up in a day or two.

According to Vaccines.gov, the most common side effects from vaccines are usually mild and can include pain, mild fever, chills, fatigue, headaches, and muscles aches, as well as discomfort and redness around the injection site. These symptoms indicate that the body is building an immunity to the disease. The organization says that serious side effects are exceedingly rare and may happen to 1 or 2 people per 1 million doses of the drug. “Getting vaccinated is much safer than getting the diseases they prevent,” says Vaccines.gov.

While Moore and his staff at SearStone received their shots at 9:30 a.m., when the four-person team of vaccinators arrived, the residents were not scheduled until 11:30 a.m. However, they were so enthused to get the vaccine they came downstairs early and were told to go back up.

“They’re excited,” he said, according to The News & Observer. “Maybe this means we’ll get some relief from all this in the next 6 to 8 months.”