Honolulu, HAWAII — VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) will began COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, December 23, 2020, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization for this vaccine.

“VA Pacific Islands Health Care System is eager to offer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to frontline health care personnel, residents of our Community Living Center and our inpatient facilities this week, followed by additional staff and Veterans through December and January,” said Dr. Adam Robinson, Director, VAPIHCS. “Receiving and providing this vaccine to our community of staff and Veteran is our priority. As vaccine supplies increase, our ultimate goal is to offer COVID-19 vaccination to all veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated on Oahu and the neighbor islands,” said Robinson.

For our Veterans in American Samoa, Guam and Saipan, VAPIHCS is working closely with the Department of Health at each site to ensure staff and Veterans have access to the vaccine as it becomes available. Vaccinations have begun in these three regions for VA staff and will begin soon for Veterans at each site.

VAPIHC is responsible for all U.S. military veterans living in American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of theNorthern Mariana Islands. A study of 2003 recruiting military recruiting data found Pacific Islanders were over-represented in the U.S. Army by 249% proportionally to other ethnic groups. Pacific Islanders were also over-represented in rates of those killed and injured in Iraq. American Samoans continue to enlist above the national average.

VAPIHCS is one of 113 VA Medical Centers across the country to receive the first limited supply of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Sites were identified based on need for the vaccine according to CDC’s 1A prioritization and capacity to store the vaccine at -20◦C.

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was 94 percent effective in clinical trials in preventing COVID-19 disease. The vaccine is administered in two doses, 28 days apart. The side effects appear similar to those of other vaccines and are short-lived.

Even after receiving COVID-19 vaccination, employees and Veterans should continue wearing face coverings, practicing physical distancing and washing hands often.

As vaccines become available for more groups of Veterans, VA care teams will reach out to eligible Veterans to schedule vaccinations. There is no need to preregister or come to a facility to sign up.

Veterans can get up-to-date information on VA’s VA COVID-19 vaccine webpage, which launched on December 11, 2020, and sign up to receive regular updates on the vaccine on the VA’s Stay Informed page.