Lifespan starts vaccinating 75+
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE): Lifespan plans to vaccinate 350 patients who are 75 and older this weekend.
The Lifespan clinics aren’t open to the public. A spokesperson told ABC6 News that eligible patients were directly contacted to sign-up.
Lifespan, the state’s largest health care system teamed up with the Rhode Island Department of Health to hold the special clinics.
Nearly 125 people aged 75 and older received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, on Saturday.
Manfred Steiner, 89, and Sheila Steiner, 93, from East Providence were chosen to get the vaccine.
“I’m so grateful to get the vaccine,” Sheila Steiner said.
Both are retired physicians and know firsthand just how monumental it was.
“It is a very harrowing experience to live through a pandemic like this,” Manfred Steiner said.
The Steiner’s will come back in 21 days to get the second dose of the vaccine.
The couple said the final dose will be the biggest sigh of relief.
“We know we are not completely out of the woods but we are going to be closer to being safe after getting the vaccine,” Sheila Steiner said.
A spokesperson for Lifespan said they hope to hold more clinics in the near future so they can continue vaccinating more Rhode Islanders, but this will all depend on whether the state gives them more doses.
