HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio)—Fifteen front-line health care workers rolled up their sleeves to get the COVID-19 vaccine Monday morning, becoming one of the first in the state and in the country to receive it.
"This is the dawn of a new day," Hartford HealthCare President and CEO Jeffrey Flaks said outside Hartford Hospital where numerous people gathered to watch the historic moment, including system leadership, healthcare workers, members of the press and Governor Ned Lamont.
Flaks praised healthcare workers, saying they stepped up once again during this pandemic, this time, to show their confidence in the vaccine and the science behind it.
Hartford HealthCare's Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Ajay Kumar was the first to get the vaccine, shortly followed by Senior System Director of Infection Prevention Keith Grant.
Many could not contain their excitement to get the vaccine, including Dr. Patrick Troy, Division Chief of Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Hartford Hospital, who said he could not sleep the night before mainly because of the excitement.
"Where we've been and where we are in nine short months is... I've used the phrase before and I'll use it again. I think it is literally nothing short of the equivalent of putting a human being on the moon," Troy said. "It's that momentous in terms of the nature of what we've accomplished."
Dr. Melisha Cumberland, Windham Hospital's Director of Medicine, was another front-line worker to get the shot.
She was not only excited but proud to be among the first in line to get the vaccine, she said.
"I couldn't be more proud to represent my colleagues, my patients, to represent the fact that I believe in science and I believe in our medicine," Cumberland said.
Many present voiced and reiterated that the vaccine was safe and almost 95% effective in an effort to encourage residents to get it when possible.
With his encouragement, Troy said he would not ask others to do something he himself would not be willing to do. A few moments later, Troy sat at the table to get the vaccine administered.
The vaccine now stored at Hartford Hospital, Hartford HealthCare is pivoting its focus toward the vaccination effort.
"We are now building a statewide capability to deliver the vaccine across the state of Connecticut," Flaks said.
According to Systems Pharmacy Director Eric Arlia, more than 50 Hartford HealthCare pharmacists volunteered a few months ago to be a part of the vaccination effort. That not only helps in the distribution of the vaccine, Arlia said, but it also helps keep the strain off the health care system.
However, Hartford HealthCare will continue to provide and expand its testing services, as it will take many months before the vaccine has been administered to enough people for herd immunity.
Health care experts and state officials urge residents to double down on their infection prevention efforts.
"We've got a lot more wearing-the-mask to do. We've got a lot more being careful to do, especially during this holiday season, especially when people tend to gather and perhaps let their guard down," Lamont said.
