‘I feel good about it.’ Bradenton retirement community gets COVID vaccine

Joyce Coffman, 84, remembers when another viral disease filled the nation with dread.

That time, it was polio.

And, just like during the present day coronavirus outbreak, Coffman said that some people were skeptical about taking the polio vaccine when it first arrived. But Coffman and her husband got in a vaccine line in order to protect their daughter, who was an infant at the time.

“Everyone wanted to protect the children from it, so we did what we had to,” said Coffman, who had polio herself as a teen.

Since COVID-19 vaccines began arriving in Florida in late December, more than 16,000 people have received a shot in Manatee County, according to the Florida Department of Health.

On Sunday, another 200 joined the list. Coffman and dozens of her fellow residents at Woodlands Village, a retirement community on 301 Boulevard East in Bradenton, jumped at the chance to receive an initial dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine and gain a level of immunity against the disease. Many staff at the facility also chose to be vaccinated.

The virus has hit assisted living facilities particularly hard. In Manatee County: 4% of local COVID-19 cases and 35% of local COVID-19 deaths have been among residents and staff of long-term care facilities, according to the state health department.

“I’m proud of the residents and the staff for making the decision to get this vaccine,” said Marissa Vazquez, the executive director of Woodlands Village.

Woodlands Village was among the first group of facilities in the U.S. to secure COVID-19 vaccinations for its residents through a federal partnership called the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program. More than 75,000 facilities have enrolled nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I feel good about it,” Coffman said about receiving the vaccine. “I’m hoping this virus will be over soon so we can come and go and do what we would like to do. Nothing stupid, you know. Just so we can live. They have a hard time keeping me in one place,” Coffman added with a smile. “I don’t do confinement very good.”

The Woodlands Village bingo room became a makeshift clinic on Sunday afternoon, and residents were ushered in a few at a time. Friendly CVS Health staff in blue medical gear filled out paperwork and shared some small talk with the residents, then prepared them for their shots.

Woodlands Village’s resident experience coordinator Deborah Hoffman said she was excited for the residents, who she considers to be part of her family. The coronavirus has brought major changes to everyday life at Woodlands Village, including many new safety protocols and changes to programming.

“It has been a difficult time,” Hoffman said. “Many of them have chosen to distance from their loved ones. I think this is one step in getting us back to some sort of normalcy.”

Hoffman, who has been unable to see any of her own family in New Jersey for a year, said she can relate to the isolation that some residents are feeling.

“You learn the importance of family and friends and just spending time with the people that you love,” Hoffman said.

Vazquez says the distribution of the second dose of the vaccine is scheduled for early February, after which the vaccinated residents should have about 95% immunity to the coronavirus.

Joyce Coffman has a few things on her to-do list once it’s safe.

Getting back to church and bible study are among them, as well as grabbing a hamburger from one of her favorite steakhouses —Outback or Longhorn. With family in Arizona, Illinois, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Connecticut, she’d also like to do some traveling.

And with four children, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, there’s lots of visiting to catch up on.

This story was originally published January 17, 2021 at 4:30 PM.