ROCK HILL, S.C. — Reinforcements in the battle against the coronavirus have finally arrived for front line workers in the form of the Pfizer vaccine.
Doctors and nurses who work with COVID-19 patients everyday will now have more protections to help them continue the fight.
Dr. Arash Poursina, an infectious disease specialist, became the first front line worker at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Poursina said he hasn’t had a single day off since the pandemic began, working to save the countless patients he’s seen fighting the virus. He said getting vaccinated was a moment he’s waited for.
“This vaccine to me is a huge step in the right direction and a huge ray of hope,” Poursina said.
At Novant Health Presbyterian, that ray of hope was delivered by a UPS truck on Thursday.
Thousands of doses of the Pfizer vaccine were delivered and stored in Novant’s ultracold freezer. Shortly after, nurses and doctors on the front lines started to receive the vaccine.
Doctors said having the vaccine now in their possession couldn’t come at a more critical time.
“I am optimistic of having an end to the pain and suffering,” Poursina said.
Caromont Health in Gaston County also received its first shipment of vaccines on Thursday. Officials said they received enough doses to vaccinate 975 employees over the next three weeks.
On Monday, a doctor at Atrium Health in Charlotte became the first person in North Carolina to get a vaccine.
The FDA also recommended emergency use authorization for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine Thursday evening. Experts voted almost unanimously to recommend the vaccine for approval.
The next step is for the FDA commissioner to sign off, and then millions of doses will be sent across the country. North Carolina expects to get 175,000 doses, and more than half of those will go to long-term care facilities.
Cox Media Group
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