Akwesasne receives first COVID-19 vaccine doses Clinical director Dr. Benson Kelly and pharmacy supervisor Joan Westcott open the first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that arrived at the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe on Monday. (Source: Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe) By 7 News Staff | December 22, 2020 at 8:51 AM EST - Updated December 22 at 8:51 AM
AKWESASNE (WWNY) - The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe received its first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine Monday.
They come 280 days after the Akwesasne community declared a state of emergency because of the pandemic.
The 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived at Saint Regis Mohawk Health Services Monday morning.
Clinical Director Dr. Benson Kelly and Pharmacy Supervisor Joan Westcott opening the first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. Dec. 21. Photo: St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
Dec 21, 2020
Saint Regis Mohawk Health Services says it has received its first 200 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
According to a press release, the initial shipment will be given to Akwesasne health care workers, tribal police officers, and other frontline personnel as soon as early January.
It will require a second dose to be administered about a month later.
More will arrive in the coming months, officials say, but the first shipment of the vaccine provides a vital tool in combating the coronavirus. It’s one of two vaccines currently authorized by the FDA and is about 94% effective at preventing symptoms from developing.