“The most uplifting day”: AHN begins administering vaccine to healthcare workers
Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network
Kathy Sikora, director of Emergency Services at Allegheny General Hospital, administered the first vaccine at AHN.
Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network
Kathy Sikora, director of emergency services at Allegheny General Hospital, administers the COVID-19 vaccine to Beth Stack, a registered nurse in AGH’s emergency department.
Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network
A vial of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine
Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network
UPS delivers a shipment of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to Allegheny Health Network earlier this week.
Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network
Allegheny Health Network spent more than $250,000 for the purchase of ultra-cold freezers to store Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The effort to vaccinate area health care workers for COVID-19 continued Friday as Allegheny Health Network administered the first doses of the vaccine at its Western Pennsylvania facilities, including Canonsburg Hospital.
It was a happy moment for exhausted frontline workers who have treated ill COVID-19 patients since March.
“It’s been a really long nine months for caregivers and nurses on the frontline. They’ve valiantly fought this pandemic and they know there is more to come,” said Dr. Claire Zangerle, AHN chief nurse executive. “It’s taken an emotional toll, but they continue to show up every day.”
AHN received a shipment of 9,750 doses earlier this week.
The network plans to first vaccinate health care workers who provide direct care to COVID-19 patients, including those who work in emergency department and inpatient units.
Several hundred frontline workers have been vaccinated at AHN’s hospitals, and doctors estimated the network will be able to administer the vaccine to employees who want the vaccine by early February.
Dr. Brian Parker, AHN chief quality officer, said the process will take time, but “we are excited to begin the first stages of this mass-vaccination effort which is key to bringing an end to the pandemic.”
On Friday afternoon, Toy Gregorakis, a nursing assistant in Canonsburg Hospital’s emergency department, received the first round of the two shots required.
Gregorakis often is the first person COVID-19 patients encounter at the hospital.
“All you have to do is work one day in the emergency room with me and see the COVID patients our doctors and nurses have to deal with, and you’d say, ‘OK, I’m ready to get the shot,'” said Gregorakis.
Gregorakis has avoided seeing her 2-year-old and 6-year-old granddaughters because of her work with COVID-19 patients, and said she was elated when she was told she would be receiving the vaccine.
“I can’t wait to be able to see my granddaughters again. I want to keep them safe. I hope everyone comes together and gets the vaccine,” she said. “I want everyone to get vaccinated so we can go on with our normal lives.”
While the vaccine is a turning point in the pandemic and AHN doctors said there is light at the end of the tunnel, it comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are at a record high.
The death toll surpassed 311,000 Friday, with 3,293 deaths reported.
Hospitalizations are setting record highs across the country and locally.
Now is not the time, AHN doctors said, to let up on safety measures to slow the spread of the virus, including wearing a face mask, social distancing and washing hands.
“This is not the time to get pandemic fatigue. This is not the time to let your guard down. Because vaccines are becoming available doesn’t mean everything we’ve asked you to do should stop,” said Dr. Parker.
Doctors also urged people to avoid Christmas and holiday gatherings with anyone outside of the people who live in their immediate household, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.
“Keeping inside your bubble this holiday is extremely important,” said Dr. Parker.
A second COVID-19 vaccine, from Moderna, was recommended for emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration Thursday, and other companies are expected to roll out vaccines in upcoming months.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have shown to be 95% effective in preventing the illness.
AHN officials urge everyone to get the vaccine when it becomes available, including those in the African American community and other at-risk populations.
Doctors noted side effects are mostly mild, including soreness at the injection site and tiredness that lasts one or two days.
Gregorakis, who will get the second dose of the vaccine in 21 days, said the shot was painless.
Kathy Sikora, director of Allegheny General Hospitals emergency department, was jubilant after she administered AHN’s first vaccine to an emergency department nurse.
She sent a late-night text to Zangerle.
It read: “The most uplifting day in nine months. The excitement and hope were palpable. This is the first day that most of us will drive home without crying all the way.”