NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, which was one of the major battlegrounds when the pandemic first hit, became the first New York City public hospital to inoculate health care workers against coronavirus.
As cameras fired away, the Pfizer vaccine was administered to two hospital workers during a ceremony Wednesday morning, just hours before a major snowstorm rolled into the city.
To a standing ovation, Veronica Delgado, a physician assistant, and William Kelly, a service aid in the environmental services department, rolled up their sleeves and got their initial dose of the vaccine.
The city's health commissioner, Dave Chokshi, administered the vaccine himself to Delgado.
Delgado called it a ray of sunshine after a long dark night, while Kelly encouraged others to get the shot "so we can all get back together."
Asked about side effects, Chokshi said, "We have not heard of any serious adverse events, that means very serious side effects, in New York City thus far."
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who attended the ceremony, reported that more than 1,600 health care workers have been vaccinated so far in the city.
Health + Hospitals head Dr. Mitch Katz described the public health system as in reasonable shape.
"All 11 hospitals together today have about 280 people with COVID, at our peak we got to almost 4,000 last April," he said.
Chokshi also said the city's hospital have been able to deal with increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases, but urged the public to double down on masks and social distancing to help blunt the surge.
The mayor said he doesn't believe the storm will change anything in "a big way," saying the city expects to get deliveries of the vaccine and will continue to administer vaccinations.