Memphis, NOLA VA get vaccine

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs administered its first doses of the coronavirus vaccine Dec. 14. WWII Army veteran Margaret Klessens, 96, was the VA’s first patient. She received the vaccine at the VA’s Bedford (Mass.) Healthcare System. The VA has 73,000 vaccines in this initial distribution, according to Christina Noel, a VA spokesperson. Thirty-seven hospitals within the VA have been selected to receive the first doses of the vaccine. The hospitals are mostly in areas with high veteran populations such as Washington D.C., Dallas, and Cleveland. The VA reports nearly 17,757 active cases and 5,542 deaths among VA patients, and 79 employee deaths. The 37 VA sites includes multiple Gulf Coast-state facilities at Birmingham (Ala.) VA Health Care System; Southeast Louisiana (New Orleans) VA Health Care System; and the Memphis (Tenn.) VA Health Care System. (Source: DoD 12/14/20) VA receives 73,000 coronaviruses vaccines in initial distribution - News - Stripes