This week begins the second round of healthcare professionals receiving their second doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Valuable vials of the COVID-19 vaccine continue to be launched, but not all healthcare professionals are rolling up their sleeves.
But Los Angeles County Director of Public Health, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, said that these precious injections, which she calls liquid gold, are not being wasted.
“There were some cases where they received extra doses at the end of the clinic,” she said. “But they managed to find other people in the hospital environment. We ask everyone to do their best to create a kind of waiting list with people who are at the right level.”
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Ferrer said the vaccine was being distributed as scheduled, even as more patients were filling the hospitals.
The California Department of Consumer Protection has just approved a public health emergency exemption that would allow dentists to administer vaccines to people over 16.
This occurs when the first nurse in California to receive the COVID-19 vaccination receives her second injection.
“I was a little nervous because of everything I read until my studies,” said ICU nurse Helen Cordova, who works at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center.
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When she received her first dose in mid-December, she said she was feeling well.
“It was like when I got my usual flu shot. The arm is sore a little and then it goes away,” she said. “It just shows that the vaccine is working and your body is developing that immunity.”
His example convinced many of his colleagues who had doubts.
“That has always been my goal with all of this – for people to research to make that decision on their own,” said Cordova.
Cordova worked over Christmas and New Year and said the workload was relentless. She encourages others to wear masks, stay apart and learn as much as possible about the vaccine.
“I hope that people like me, who definitely did not accept the vaccine, can change this attitude to yes,” said Cordova.
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