COVID In Delaware: Progressive Care Unit Nurse Receives State's First Vaccine, Gov. Carney Announces
DOVER, Del. (CBS) -- The first Delawarean has received Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine Gov. John Carney and other health officials announced Tuesday. Elisabeth Cote, a progressive care unit nurse at Bayhealth received the vaccine Tuesday morning at Bayhealth's Kent campus in Dover.
Cote received the vaccine roughly 24 hours after the first shipment arrived at Bayhealth on Monday.
"After nine long months fighting COVID-19, this is a moment of hope for Delaware and for our country. There is a light at the end of the tunnel," said Gov. Carney said in a statement. "Delaware's nurses, doctors, nursing assistants, and non-medical staff have all demonstrated courage and leadership every day of this COVID-19 crisis. Now, nurses like Elisabeth Cote are leading by example again by stepping up to get the COVID-19 vaccine. It is because of them that we will beat this pandemic and come out stronger on the other side."
Bayhealth is the first health care system in Delaware to receive the vaccine.
Delaware, which received 975 of its 8,775 pre-ordered doses from Pfizer, was one of the first states in the nation to receive initial doses of vaccine on Monday.
Health care workers and long-term care residents are in line for the first doses.
Workers in critical industries will be vaccinated beginning in January, people with more moderate risk will be next in line in March, and the general public will have access to the vaccine sometime in the spring or summer.
Meantime, a new stay-at-home advisory went into effect Monday in Delaware to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. There's a statewide mask mandate anytime you are indoors with people not in your household.
Delaware is also limiting most retail stores and all restaurants to 30% capacity and there's a 10 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants.
MORE FROM CBSPHILLY.COM
Rookie QB Jalen Hurts Shines In First Career Start As Eagles Defeat New Orleans Saints 24-21