Regional Covid-19 vaccinations are now underway for frontline health care workers, first responders and those who are considered high risk for a severe infection of the respiratory disease, although the statewide rollout has been marred by mixed messages and confusion.
Lamar County volunteer firefighters were among those invited to sign up for their first round of vaccinations Dec. 29, a day after Paris Regional Medical Center officials announced the hospital received its initial allocation of vaccines, developed by Moderna, and it was distributing them in accordance with prioritization guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government and the state of Texas. The Moderna vaccine received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 18.
Kenneth Grooms, 73, of Paris, passed away Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, at Paris Regional Medical Center.
Following his request, the family will not schedule services. Cremation was under the care and direction of Bright-Holland Funeral Home.
Kenneth, the son of Roy and Mona Smallwood Grooms, was born Feb. 14, 1947, in the Sylvan Community of Lamar County.
He graduated from Paris High School in 1965. His career with American National Insurance Company spanned 28 years. Following retirement from American National, Kenneth worked for Frito Lay for 12 years before retiring.
He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was an animal lover and will be missed by his dachshunds, Dixie and Muffin.
We are all in this together.
Not in the past 100 years has this community experienced such challenging times as brought about by Covid-19. As 2020 comes to an end, we have much to lament as many of our friends and neighbors have succumbed to this relentless virus. Some of our businesses have shut their doors while others continue to hold on, hopeful a new year will bring relief.
Although health officials warn that the worst is yet to come in the coming months, we look forward to returning to some form of normalcy in 2021, much like other generations before us accomplished when vaccines brought an end to other debilitating diseases.
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW: No 1 — 2020 was the year of Covid-19 theparisnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theparisnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Paris Regional Medical Center has received its initial allocation of Covid-19 vaccines, and it is in the process of distributing them in accordance with prioritization guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government and the state of Texas, officials said Monday morning. We will launch our internal vaccine clinic today, Monday, December 28, beginning with our frontline health care workers, said Savannah Abbott, PRMC s director of marketing and communications. Once the vaccine becomes more broadly available, we will strongly encourage our community to get vaccinated. Paris Regional Medical Center is pleased to be taking this next exciting step toward ending the pandemic and advancing our mission of Making Communities Healthier.