"Three, two, one... vaccinate!"
Medical workers at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center cheered as several of their colleagues were among the first people in the state to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Andy Thomas, chief clinical officer of the Wexner Medical Center, says this moment marks a new phase in the fight against the coronavirus.
"We were just thrilled to be the first site in the state of Ohio to be able to vaccinate someone for coronavirus," Thomas says. "And just thrilled to take the first steps forward."
Monday morning, 975 doses of the vaccine were delivered to Columbus, and next week they anticipate an even larger shipment of the Moderna vaccine.
"It was a mix of all different types of titles and people, but the way they were chosen is they worked in our highest risk areas in the ICU and the emergency department," Thomas says.
Thomas says over the next few weeks, other local hospitals will receive vaccine deliveries too, but the process of getting all front line health care workers vaccinated will likely take several months.
Gov. Mike DeWine said on Monday that eight other hospitals around the state, chosen based on factors like geography and access to super-cold storage, will each get 975 doses of the vaccine.
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