This week begins the second round of health workers receiving the second doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
The valuable vials of the COVID-19 vaccine continue to unfold, although not all health workers have rolled up their sleeves.
But Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said these precious dams, which she calls liquid gold, are not being wasted.
“There have been a couple of cases where they have had additional doses at the end of the clinic,” he said. “But they have managed to find other people in the hospital. We urge everyone to do their best to create a kind of waiting list with those people who are at the right level.”
RELATED: Expired vaccine doses go outside high-priority groups
Ferrer said the distribution of the vaccine will take place as planned, even as more patients flock to hospitals.
The California Department of Consumer Affairs has just approved a public health emergency exemption that would allow dentists to administer vaccines to those over 16 years of age.
This comes when the first nurse in California to receive a vaccine against COVID-19 receives her second shot.
“I was a little nervous about everything I read up to studies,” said ICU nurse Helen Cordova, who works at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center.
RELATED: Governor Gavin Newsom explains why the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine is slow
When he received the first dose in mid-December, he said he was feeling well.
“I felt like when I was vaccinated against the usual flu. My arm is a little sore and disappears,” he said. “It just shows that the vaccine works and your body develops that immunity.”
His example has convinced many of his colleagues that they had doubts.
“This has always been one of my goals: is for people to do their research to make that decision on their own,” Córdoba said.
Córdoba worked on both Christmas and New Year’s Eve and said the workload is relentless. Encourage others to wear masks, stay away, and learn as much as they can about the vaccine.
“I hope people like me who weren’t definitely on the vaccine can change that stance on themselves,” Cordoba said.
Copyright © 2021 KABC-TV. All rights reserved.