‘I’ve been waiting for this day.’ Coronavirus vaccinations are underway in Sacramento
The first coronavirus vaccinations are now underway at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento after a first shipment of 4,875 doses arrived early Tuesday to cheers.
Medical Center officials began administering doses at about noon, focused on front-line critical care employees who treat COVID-19 patients. Other acute care hospitals in the Sacramento region are receiving doses this week as well, and will be giving them first to front-line hospital caregivers.
The first to roll up her sleeve Tuesday in Sacramento was UC Medical Center emergency department nurse Eva Teniola, 47, who has worked at the medical center for nearly a decade.
“I have been waiting for this day,” she said, according to a Tweet from hospital officials. UC Davis declined multiple requests from The Sacramento Bee to observe inoculations.
Earlier in the day, Davis Health officials trumpeted the arrival of the vaccines with a tweet: “Our initial shipment of #COVID19 vaccine is here! Packed in dry ice and delivered by @FedEx. It’s now on its way to our ultra-cold storage freezer, soon to be given to frontline staff from @UCDavisEM.”
A limited first round of vaccines are being shipped nationally this week, mainly to hospitals. In California, the first vaccinations occurred Monday in Los Angeles.
In total, the Sacramento region is expected to get an initial shipment of 35,145 doses this week. The first round of vaccinations will focus on hospital workers who deal with COVID-19 patients and at-risk older residents of nursing homes and other congregate care facilities.
UC Davis Health executive Dr. David Lubarsky called the moment D-Day for the fight against the virus. If inoculations go well, most people will have gotten the shots by summer.
Hospital officials said they plan to give out all of the nearly 5,000 doses in the next week, inoculating about 800 employees per day. Those employees will get a second, or booster shot in about three weeks.
The hospital is expecting more vaccine shipments for that second dose. Medical Center officials say they expect to receive shipments of a second vaccine, that one produced by Moderna, by Monday. The Moderna vaccine is undergoing final federal approvals this week.
“By Christmas, we will deliver the best gift that you can, which is a sense of security against COVID within our walls for our employees,” Lubarsky told the Associated Press, whose reporter witnessed the first vaccine being administered at the hospital.
He called it “paying back our frontline health care workers” for their daily efforts tending to COVID-19 patients.
The initial round of doses will go to people who deal directly with COVID-19 patients, including doctors, nurses, receptionists, food service workers and maintenance workers, UC officials said.
That starts this week with emergency room workers and intensive care unit workers, according to hospital officials. No more than 1/3 of workers in each department will be vaccinated at one time in case some suffer identified side effects such as fatigue, headaches and nausea.
“Even though we’re really wanting to get our (emergency department) scheduled as quickly as possible, we also have to be mindful that it has to be strategic and how we do it so we don’t take out our workforce,” Ann Tompkins, interim director of employee health services, told the AP.
Sutter Health officials on Monday announced they expect to get a shipment “early” this week.
“We are set to begin vaccinating within hours of receiving the vaccine,” said Ryan Stice of Sutter Health, which operates 200 acute care clinics in Northern California.
The first inoculations were given nationally Monday, just two days after the federal Food and Drug Administration gave approval to Pfizer to distribute the first of what is expected to be several coronavirus vaccines.
Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye, meanwhile, this week said she is hopeful the recent restrictions imposed on the 13-county Sacramento region will reduce the number of new infections while the inoculation program ramps up.
She called on people to be cautious during Christmas and New Years and avoid family gatherings.
“We’re still putting out a plea to stay home and stay within your households so we get through this going in to the new year,” she said this week. “We have a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine coming.”
Associated Press material was used in this report. Associated Press pool photographs for this story were provided by Hector Amezcua, who is also a UC Davis employee.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 8:18 AM.