Vantage Point Schedules Vaccine Clinic for Residents and Staff

Residences at Vantage Point is embarking on its second round of vaccine clinics Feb.8, for residents and staff of the retirement community in Downtown Columbia. Forty-two residents of the Vantage Point Health Center and 108 staff members were given their first or second of the two-part Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 in the first round of clinics that began in December. The doses of the vaccine, which is injected into the muscle, are administered three weeks apart.

According to Vantage Point Interim Executive Director Heather Funk, the next set of clinics has been set up in partnership with CVS for Independent Living residents. The residents will receive their first doses of the vaccine onsite Feb.8, followed by second doses on March 1. Those who receive first doses on March 1 will receive second doses on March 22. Only those who are registered as residents of Vantage Point by March 1 will be eligible for the clinics.

“Our residents are going to be among the first to be vaccinated,” said Vantage Point Marketing Director Patti Hutton. “We expect everyone will take advantage of the safe, secure and simple process of just showing up for vaccination. No on-line registration is necessary, and there will be no standing in lines or having to leave the building,” she added.

“Vantage Point has followed enhanced infection control protocols as recommended by the CDC, State and local Health Departments since March 2020, and residents have proved strong adherents to safety precautions. They have been enthusiastic about getting the vaccine,” Hutton said.

Residences at Vantage Point prioritizes the health and safety of its employees and residents, Hutton noted. The retirement community is known for the care being provided and for the safety protocols established at the onset of the pandemic. In addition, Hutton pointed out, Baltimore Magazine recently named Dr. Andrew Lazris, Medical Director for Residences at Vantage Point, among the Top Doctors in the area, specializing in geriatrics.

Vantage Point was selected as a site to administer the vaccine because as a continuing care retirement community it provides a full range of housing and services for independent living as well as on-site assisted living, memory support assisted living and comprehensive nursing care as part of its overall active retirement community. The U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The EUA is supported by a Secretary of Health and Human Services declaration that circumstances exist to justify the emergency use of drugs and biological products during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an ongoing clinical trial, the Pfizer-BNioNTech Vaccine has been shown to prevent COVID-19 following two doses given three weeks apart. The duration of protection against COVID-19 is currently unknown. There is no FDA-approved vaccine to prevent COVID-19.

Residences at Vantage Point is Howard County’s only not-for-profit retirement living community offering a combination of enriching opportunities, flexible living options, and the security and value of a Life Care-style contract. For more information, visit www.VantagePointResidences.org.