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Standing outside the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on a gloomy morning, Dr Sara Cody delivered a glowing message: The county has administered its first COVID-19 vaccines.
“Finally, we have a silver lining as we begin to vaccinate,” Cody, the county’s public health official, said as cars sped around the busy street nearby. “The vaccine arrived in our county earlier this week. We cannot normalize the devastation around us but we have hope… this pandemic will not last forever. “
Inside the building, about 210 trained nursing staff were receiving the first doses of Pfizer vaccine in Santa Clara County.
Cliff Roperez, a nurse at Canyon Springs Post-Acute nursing home in San Jose, was the first person to receive the vaccine after being recommended by her workplace. He told the San José Spotlight that he had arrived an hour earlier.
Roperez said he drove to the fairground around 8 a.m. and it was so early that security guards asked why he was there.
“I was the first guy at the fairground,” he said. “I was approached by three security guards and for some reason I was not on the list. They are like “Who are you?” “
He said another worker was able to fix the problem, making sure Roperez was the first to receive the much-needed vaccine.
At the nursing home, Roperez takes swabs from residents to check for COVID-19.
“I think it’s a risky task because we don’t know. We don’t see the virus, ”he said. “But all we have to rely on is our (personal protective equipment) and make sure that we wash our hands and take the proper care to keep everyone in the facility safe and secure. well protected.
Health officials opened the first vaccination clinic at the fairgrounds – which also serves as the COVID-19 testing center – on December 17 and began vaccinating people who are in the highest priority group. They account for 5% of all COVID-19 cases in the county, but 45% of deaths.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, O’Connor Hospital and St. Louise Regional Hospital received 3,900 doses of Pfizer vaccine on December 17 and began administering the injections to intensive care and emergency workers.
Daljeet Rai, 62, a Stanford Health Care doctor who led the response to COVID-19 at O’Connor Hospital, was one of the first people to be vaccinated at the facility.
“I would encourage everyone to get this vaccine,” Rai said. “When I walk in the wards of the hospital, people hesitate, they are reluctant, there are a lot of conspiracy theories, things that are on people’s minds. In fact, we have to trust science on this.
The doctor said the vaccine ultimately stopped the virus from spreading.
Alexandra Murdough, a registered nurse in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at O’Connor Hospital, said she received the vaccine due to the toll she saw firsthand.
“We saw more on the front lines obviously,” Murdough said. “We have to face the family and their grief and the fact that patients cannot be with their families in their last moments. It’s very difficult. It definitely encouraged me to get the vaccine today.
Santa Clara County received 5,850 doses of Pfizer vaccine out of the 17,500 assigned by state officials. Only a fraction of health workers will have access to the vaccine.
Brian Weaver, facility administrator at the Rancho San Antonio Senior Retirement Home Forum in Cupertino, was one of them. He returns for the second dose on January 7.
“The process went well. I mean, I expected it to go well and it did, ”said Weaver, 56, standing outside the county fairground. “I always take as many precautions as possible because it is not safe until you get the second dose. But I feel great now that I have this first one.
Dr Marty Fenstersheib, responsible for COVID-19 testing, said 6,000 people would be vaccinated in the county over the next few weeks.
“It’s definitely a bright light at the end of a very dark tunnel,” Fenstersheib said.
So far, the county is the only health care provider to vaccinate people. Private hospitals will receive doses of the vaccine by next week and Fenstersheib said more providers will have access to them in the coming months.
It will take 70 to 80 percent of Santa Clara County to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, Fenstersheib said, and allow residents to finally remove their masks and ease social distancing requirements.
Fenstersheib and Cody have said they will not be taking the vaccine yet.
“I look forward to the day when I too can get vaccinated,” Cody said. “It’s not my turn yet. We are going in the order our colleagues have given us.
The United States Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use on December 11. People around the world took part in the vaccine trial, including from Santa Clara County.
Fenstersheib said the county expects to receive 68,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of next week – which includes the first and second allotments of the Pfizer vaccine and the first allocation of the Moderna vaccine, pending its approval.
The Moderna vaccine is expected to arrive next week.
However, county leaders have urged people to continue to distance themselves socially, wear masks and follow the COVID-19 health order.
“I know it’s boring to wear your mask and people are tired of socially lagging behind, you should never be tired of washing your hands as you walk by,” said Cindy Chavez, chairman of the County Oversight Board. Santa Clara. “But now is the time for us to keep doubling down, so we can see our way out.”
On December 17, Santa Clara County reported 943 new cases of COVID-19 and 8 new deaths in the past few days. The county has a cumulative total of 51,233 COVID-19 cases and 561 deaths.
Newly elected supervisor Otto Lee has warned hospitals are reaching capacity in Santa Clara County.
“Now is not the time to put our feet on the gas pedal,” he said. “The ICU capacity figures are still very low – there are only about 40 ICU beds available. Our hospitals are full. Please stay home. Stay safe with your family. “
Vicente Vera contributed to this report.
Contact Mauricio La Plante at [email protected] or follow @mslaplantenews on Twitter.
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