A shot for Covid-19, loneliness

The excitement was palpable Tuesday morning at Harbor Campus in Port Washington, as residents and some staff members of the senior living facility received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

“I’ve never seen so many smiles when it comes to getting a shot,” Pam Schlenvogt, regional director of operations for Capri Communities, which operates Harbor Campus, said. “We’re so excited.”

Harbor Campus joined Lasata Care Center in Cedarburg and Heritage Health Services in Port Washington, which started vaccinating residents and staff members on Jan. 4.

Residents at all three facilities were eager to get the first dose of the Moderna vaccine, administrators said, noting it represents a promise of normality.

“Everybody’s really ready to turn the corner and return to some sort of normal,” Kristin Mueller, senior director of communication for North Shore Healthcare, which operates Heritage, said. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

And the promise of routine in-person family visits has helped immensely, Lasata Administrator Amanda Kohal said.

“It’s almost like we’ve been dealing with a twin pandemic,” she said. “We’re dealing with the illness and we’re dealing with the emotional toll of loneliness.”

Pauline McCown, 75, who with her husband Bob lives at Harbor Village, the independent living facility at Harbor Campus, called Tuesday “a great day. I’m glad we don’t have to wait any longer. This is important. Everybody seems to be so excited.”

For her, the vaccine represents hope, she said, noting she’s especially concerned for her husband, who is 88 and has health problems.

“I hope that it can ease my mind,” McCown said. “I’m just happy I’ll have my protection. You feel more secure. I don’t have to think about getting the virus all the time. I can just talk to everyone.

“We’ve been staying in all the time.  We’ve not gone anywhere. I think with the vaccine we’ll go out more.”

While some people may be leery of the shot, McCown said she’s not.

“I’m not afraid of the shots,” she said. “It’s a good thing, this vaccine.”

Harold Medinger, 89, said he’s looking forward to being able to see his family again.

“I’m pretty close with everybody. But the ones I miss most are my great-grandchildren,” he said, noting he has nine great-grandsons all younger than 18. At Harbor Campus, only family members older than 18 have been able to come inside and visit residents.

One of his grandsons contracted the coronavirus, Medinger said, but is healthy now.

“I want my kids to be safe — that’s the main thing,” he said.

The pandemic, he said, was a shock.

“I never figured I’d have to go through this,” he said.  “The whole country, the whole world is going through this. I’m worried.”

His family, he added, is relieved that he’s getting the vaccine.

Carla Kostecki, executive director of Harbor Campus, said 127 doses of the vaccine were to be administered Tuesday. About 90% of the campus residents signed up to get the vaccine, she said, along with a number of staff members.

The residents, she said, have anxiously waited for the vaccine.

“They’ve been asking about it at the front desk daily,” she said.

Many are like Medinger, she said. They want to receive the vaccine so they can see their grandchildren and great-grandchildren again.

The goal, Schlenvogt said, is to get everyone vaccinated.

Harbor Campus received its vaccine from Walgreens, which administered the inoculations.

The number of staff members receiving the vaccine is a little less than expected, she said, for various reasons. Some want the residents to get the vaccine first, others are unsure of it and some are of child-bearing age and are wary.

“I think a lot of staff members just want to see how this round goes,” Kostecki said.

Several additional vaccination clinics are being scheduled to ensure everyone receives the vaccine who wants it, she said.

At Heritage, about 85% of the residents and a “very high” number of the staff members received their first of two doses of the Moderna vaccine on Jan. 4, Mueller said.

The second dose — as well as first doses for those who haven’t received it yet but want to — is set to be administered in early February, she said.

“The residents and their family members are looking forward to this,” she said of the possibility of unrestricted in-person visits.

“We know it will take a little bit of time, but we’ll get there,” she said, noting that the facility has had limited in-person visitation but has worked hard to keep families connected with window and virtual visits and to create connections between residents.

CVS administered the vaccine at both Heritage and Lasata Care Center, where it was given to 80% of the nursing home residents, or 66 people, and 107 of the 225 staff members at the Lasata Campus, which also includes assisted and independent living facilities, Kohal said.

Another 20 staff members “and hopefully more” are expected to receive their first dose of the vaccine during the next vaccination clinic, she said.

“Most of the staff are doing it for the residents,” Kohal said. “They understand the implications for residents is greater than any short-term complication they might suffer from the vaccine.”

Only residents of the nursing home were eligible to receive the vaccine initially, Kohal said, which was “disappointing.”

“Many of them (residents of the assisted and independent living facilities) told us how disappointed and frustrated they were,” she said, adding a number of family members reached out to state legislators to advocate for vaccinations.

The campus was recently notified that residents of the assisted and independent living facilities will be able to receive it soon, although a date for the clinic has not yet been set.

Most of the nursing home residents who didn’t receive the vaccine made that choice because they are only at the care center to rehabilitate for a short time and would be leaving before the second dose was administered, Kohal said.

She said she expects many of the residents of the assisted living and independent living facilities to sign up for the vaccine, as well as more staff members.

The campus is doing a great deal of education and outreach to promote vaccinations, she said, noting “this is about science.”

“I think the majority of residents will take the leap and get the vaccine,” Kohal said. “Everyone is hoping to reopen sooner than later. We have a lot of window visits, especially on weekends, but it’s not the same