A host of front line health care workers received the first COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer during a nationwide rollout event Monday.
Five professionals at George Washington University in D.C. were among the first to roll up their sleeves to get a shot during a livestream billed as “The National Ceremonial COVID-19 Vaccination Kickoff Event.”
“The development of a COVID-19 vaccine is nothing short of revolutionary,” said Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who was among those on hand for the historic moment.
Dr. Sheetal Sheth, an obstetrician who works closely with women in labor and delivery at GW Hospital, spoke with WTOP afterward about what it was like to get the shot in such a setting.
“I feel great actually,” said Sheth, who admitted she was “a bit nervous” but revealed that it “hurt less than the flu shot,” to her surprise.
Sheth pointed out that the vaccine trial data shows it’s possible to get a mild fever within 24 hours of the first shot, but she said it’s better than the alternative.
“I’ve seen a lot of patients that’ve been sick with COVID-19. A mild fever and having some muscle aches — compared with being on a ventilator and losing a life, or passing it on to one of my patients or my family — this was a no-brainer,” she said.
Mayor Muriel Bowser also spoke during the vaccine event and acknowledged the “herculean effort” to produce doses in such a fast-paced fashion.
“Now, it’s on all of us to make sure that we’re communicating to our neighbors, our family and friends, and especially right now the health care workers in our lives, that we have a safe and effective vaccine, and we need to get to using it,” Bowser said.
The vaccinations — which also took place in states like New York, Connecticut, Iowa and Michigan — come just days after the FDA granted emergency use for the vaccine.
So far, Pfizer has shipped out nearly 3 million doses.
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