OHIO, USA — Today was a great day in Ohio.
On Monday, the first healthcare workers in Columbus received Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at the Wexner Medical Center, which Governor Mike DeWine says makes today special.
“This is a very exciting day for Ohio. This really is the day that we’ve been waiting for. It starts the process of the end.”
Chief Operating Officer for University Hospitals, Dr. Robyn Strosaker, says the vaccine deliveries are giving many healthcare employees hope.
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“The words I keep hearing are ‘light at the end of the tunnel.’ Our caregivers are tired, they’ve been working very hard over the last 9 months. They know that our hardest days are ahead of us and so they’re very excited for this light at the end of the tunnel. It really feels like we’ll get through this last surge and then things will get better from here on out,” says Dr. Strosaker.
Dr. Jeffrey Horowitz is among the first healthcare employees to receive the Pfizer vaccine. He says he hopes the public follows their lead when the vaccine is more widely available.
“That's why I came here to do this today, because I have no qualms at all about getting this. I want people to see that if I'm standing here getting this then, then you should too,” says Dr. Horowitz.
However, being one of the first to get the Covid vaccine doesn’t mean these healthcare employees can relax.
“We've been busy. You know, I've been, we've been taking care of patients, trying to run a division, and, and, you know, the ICU's are full,” says Horowitz.
Cleveland area hospitals will receive the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday and start inoculating staff members shortly after.
“I think the good news is for Ohioans is that every day we go forward from here we’ll see more and more people be vaccinated,” says Gov. DeWine.
MetroHealth and the Cleveland Clinic are both expected to receive just under a thousand doses of the vaccine tomorrow. UH was involved in the clinical trials, and is expected to receive the Moderna vaccine once it's approved next week.