A huge step was taken today in the fight against the Coronavirus as health care workers and those in long term care facilities are getting the first doses of Pfizer’s vaccine.
“We’ve been through so much, this is the first step to get to a place where we do not have to worry about ourselves, about our loved ones, about our families. We’ve seen a lot of despair, and this is a positive moment,” said Dr. Yves Duroseau in New York City.
In all, 145 locations are receiving vials Monday which are rolling out of the Pfizer facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The supply will be loaded onto airplanes, then distributed across the country.
Research shows the vaccine is 95 percent effective.
“This is truly a very innovative moment, unlike anything else in history by the nature of the kind of vaccine this is,” said Dr. Jonathan Lovy of Beaumont Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey.
In Chicago, Rush University Hospital has transformed its lobby into mass vaccination bays.
And in New York, one group will have vaccinated 56,000 front-line workers by Monday afternoon.
The rollout comes at a crucial moment of the pandemic given that more than 108,000 Americans are in the hospital right now with COVID-19.
“The next weeks are going to be hell, I fear. We’re begging with people to please, please don’t let your guard down,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
Health experts say 75 to 80 percent of the population has to be immunized before herd immunity can take effect. The goal is to reach that point by May or June.
There’s been some concern over whether Americans will trust the vaccine enough to get it. But according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll more than 80 percent do say they want the shot.
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