Salinas Valley Health Medical Center Vaccinating Staff with Moderna Vaccine

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

Salinas Valley Health Medical Center has started vaccinating staff with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Salinas Valley Health Medical Center received 1,400 doses of the Moderna vaccine Tuesday morning just days after receiving 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

“Right now we are vaccinating our frontline staff and physicians who are most at risk. We need them to be healthy to care for our patients and the community,” says Pete Delgado, President/CEO of Salinas Valley Health. “Receiving the vaccines has been a huge step forward in our fight against COVID-19. People need to celebrate the upcoming holidays responsibly. I urge everyone to do their part by wearing a mask, social distancing, and not gathering with people outside of their household. We can get through this but we must stay vigilant.”

The Moderna vaccine was approved by an emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) late last week. In clinical trials, the vaccine was shown to be 94% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19, measured starting from 14 days after the second dose. Both the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccines require two shots: a priming dose, followed by a booster shot. The interval between Moderna doses is 28 days; for the Pfizer vaccine, it’s 21 days.

COVID-19 vaccines are meant to reduce and diminish the effects of COVID-19, but they do not prevent anyone from getting the virus or being a carrier of the virus. Therefore, all masking and social distancing guidelines remain in effect whether a vaccine is received or not. This will remain important for many months to come.