Mather Hospital launched its COVID-19 vaccination program on Dec.15 with the arrival of the first delivery of the Pfizer vaccine.
“I feel that since I’m a healthcare worker and I’m on the frontline I have to set a good example, practice what I preach. It’s important,” said Christine Carbone, RN, nursing director of the Emergency Department, who was the first staff
member to receive the vaccine.
Carbone said a number of her staff were willing to take the vaccine, although there was some caution expressed about being among the first to receive it.
Julie Macauley, RN, Mather’s director of critical care, said she had no hesitation about signing up to be among the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine. “For me it’s the road to zero. We need to get past this.”
She said she was very confident in the vaccine after doing her own reading on it and speaking with experts. “It’s the only way to get out of this.”
Respiratory therapist Paul Theiss, also among the first group to receive the vaccine, said it was a very personal decision for him. “I decided to take the vaccine because I’m too exposed to the virus and if I can protect myself and my family, it’s well worth it.”
He also felt that the vaccine was the only answer to the pandemic. “This is the only way we’re going to end this because people are just not doing what they’re supposed to do,” he said.
“I want this virus to go away. That’s the most important thing,” said ED nursing assistant Teresa DeGonzague, as she waited for her shot. “I hope everyone decides to get it. It wasn’t an easy decision. I was nervous about it. But we all need to get it.”