LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Millions of people across the country have already received the COVID-19 vaccine. Geisinger has given out more than 14,000 doses to employees.
"We're actually on to administering the second dose, which is a great thing because we know as we continue to get out more vaccinations, that's closer and closer to getting to those members of the community," said Dr. Alison Brodginski, Geisinger's northeast director of infectious diseases.
Dr. Brodginski gets a lot of questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. Recently people have asked whether someone who has already contracted coronavirus should still get the vaccine when it becomes available to them. Dr. Brodginski says yes.
"The current guidance states that they should wait for a total of 90 days from when they had the COVID-19 infection," Dr. Brodginski said.
The Centers for Disease Control says even if you've already had COVID-19, the vaccine will still offer important benefits and protections.
"There's definitely no concern from a safety physiology standpoint for someone to receive the vaccine after the recovery from a natural infection," Dr. Brodginski said.
Even though people who have recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies, Dr. Brodginski says it's not a lifelong immunity.
"We're actually still figuring out how long of an immunity is sustained after somebody has infection as well as after somebody who has received the vaccination," Dr. Brodginski said.
Health care organizations are currently in the first phase of vaccinations.