CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sunrise Senior Living in Charlotte says it’s among one of the first in the state to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as part of the state’s 1a distribution plan.
On Monday, a team from CVS gave injections to more than 65 residents and staff at the facility.
It was a celebratory tone at Sunrise Senior Living. The vaccinations started around 10 a.m. Monday morning and as one resident put it, it was a piece of cake.
After the heaviness of 2020, the new year started with levity, at Sunrise Senior Living.
"I’m a genuine north Carolinian," said George Kinkaid
Kinkaid was among more than 65 residents and staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine Monday.
"The shot was a piece of cake," he said,
"It’s one of the first senior living communities in the state of North Carolina to get the covid-19 vaccine," said Mary Ann Cadger, VP of resident care for Sunrise Senior Living.
Cadger said CVS is administering the Moderna vaccine at the facility. Monday begins the first of three clinics for receiving injections.
"So they can get the first, and then the subsequent dose, and a third clinic where we can pick up anyone who might have missed the first one," Cadger said.
Residents at Sunrise Senior Living, like others around the state and across the country, have leaned on technology to interact with loved ones.
But instead of sadness, Monday is a day for celebration.
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"We’ve taken a celebratory approaching to this," Cadger said.
In fact, they’ve even created a theme for the big day.
"They’re calling it "take a shot at covid" and our team members are getting bullseye stickers as they get the vaccine," Cadger said.
Cadger said it doesn’t mean the days of wearing masks, social distancing, or infection control are over.
"Those aren’t going away anytime soon," she said.
But it is starting 2021 on the right foot.
"The first step in our journey to the other side of this pandemic," she said.