JANESVILLE, Wisconsin – Vaccination started for frontline healthcare workers at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Janesville.
Nurse Claire Kuschel was the first to be vaccinated on Sunday morning.
“This is what we were all waiting for,” said Kuschel. “I have asked the infection prevention nurse several times when we are going to get the vaccine and how I can get it. She mentioned that I can start signing up. I was first on the list. “
Kuschel said her life has changed dramatically since the pandemic began, both for her and her family.
SSM Health St Mary’s Hospital in Janesville today gave RN Claire Kuschel her first vaccine! They plan to distribute 700 vaccines to frontline personnel in the next two weeks.
Why Claire is the first to understand – tonight # News3Now @ WISCTV_News3 pic.twitter.com/A6aZffSkuP
– Adam Duxter (@ News3Adam) December 27, 2020
“It has been a difficult time for all of us to have to deal with this,” she said. “Knowing that we don’t know much about this virus, it almost makes you feel helpless. We are just trying to do the best we can to make them feel better and more comfortable. “
SSM Health St. Mary’s President Eric Thornton said the 700 healthcare workers are likely to receive the first round of vaccines in the next two weeks.
“It’s optimism,” he said. “It is the next step in the process where we can finally start to return to normal. I also think it is a great sign for our employees that we can provide them with a vaccine that we have wanted to do for some time. This only allows them to stay healthy, so that they can take exceptional care of our patients. “
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