Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It was a little surreal to me as I stood on the third floor of the VA Western New York Healthcare System in Buffalo Tuesday afternoon and watched a covid-19 vaccination that took a mere twenty seconds to complete.
It was the symbolism, not the actual vaccination, that struck me.
Rewind with me for a moment to March as the grim news came every day and led us to a dark place that included the shutdown of our economy, the closure of our workplaces and the separation, for many, from most forms of normal interaction. In that dark moment of time, it would seem insurmountable that in a matter of months, less than a year, that we would be beginning to form lines to receive a vaccination that would signify the beginning of the end of an historic pandemic.
It was significant for me as well that it was Dr. John Sellick, Chief of Infectous Disease at the VA and professor at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, who was first to receive the vaccine at the VA. In March, Dr. Sellick was part of a WBEN Town Hall at Night broadcast that aired as the COVID pandemic began to dominate our lives. Dr. Sellick was among the last in-studio pre-quarantine guests in studio and was among the first to receive the historic vaccine just months later.
After receiving the vaccination, Dr. Sellick reminisced about the March event at which we met and remarked, "It seems like twenty years ago."
Yes. It does.
While there is no shortage of opinion on how the pandemic was handled from a political and economic perspective, it would appear that most can agree that the COVID vaccine is the best route out of the pandemic that we have.
"This is going to be our opportunity," said Dr. Sellick. "Here we finally have what we really need, which is a highly efficacious, very safe vaccine."
Dr. Sellick says all the graphs are heading the wrong way and this is as close to a 'game changer' that we have. "Trying to get herd immunity by letting people get sick is not the right way to do it," said Sellick.
While Sellick doesn't view himself as a frontline worker deserving to be first to receive the vaccine, he admits it's a symbolic step in helping to convince a skeptical community that this vaccine is safe and effective.
The vaccine is a turning point, a 'game changer' and a route toward the end. But it is not the end, warns Sellick.
As the vaccine continues to be rolled out and administered in waves of priority, Sellick says it's important to continue to practice the basic three: Masking, distancing and hand hygiene.
As safe and effective as the extensive research and clinical testing has been, there is still the question of whether the vaccine provides what's known as 'sterilizing immunity'. Dr. Sellick warns there is the chance that, while the vaccine protects the reipient, it may not fully prevent a 'sub-clinical infection' and ability to transmit the virus.
The COVID pandemic remains a moving target and there is no definitive 'end' to the movie. But seeing the confidence and enthusiasm of medical authorities like Dr. Sellick as they roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, sure seems like the best 'shot' we have.
"This is going to be our opportunity."
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