A local doctor called the vaccine a dagger in the back of the coronavirus.
A hospital president said Thursday was an important date in the community’s history as it represented a light of hope at the end of a very long tunnel.
Bakersfield hospitals administered the first doses of the newly arrived coronavirus vaccine to several executives, doctors and hospital staff while front-line hospital workers applauded and applauded on Thursday.
“We should all go,” said Dr. Arash Heidari, director of the Kern Medical Infectious Diseases Fellowship, and possibly the first person in Bakersfield to be immunized with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID- vaccine. 19.
“The more people are immunized,” Heidari said, “the sooner the pandemic will end.”
The vaccine Heidari received was administered at Kern Medical by the hospital’s senior pharmacist, Jeff Jolliff, who described Heidari as a “true hero” for the work he has been doing since the pandemic broke out.
It only took seconds for the vaccine to be injected, and when he finished, Jolliff said, “You’re vaccinated.”
After nine months of enduring the pandemic and the blockages, restrictions, fears and losses, the arrival of the vaccine was historic for many, especially the medical professionals who have seen it up close, who have seen how patients and even colleagues went down highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease.
Later in the afternoon, Mercy President and CEO Bruce Peters became Mercy’s first to receive the vaccine from registered nurse Kim Walker.
Peters said he went first because he doesn’t want to ask hospital staff to do something he’s not willing to do. And he wants the community to know he’s safe.
The vaccine is given in two doses, three weeks apart, so Peters and everyone else getting the vaccine have to go back for a second injection.
“The benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks,” Peters said.
According to the FDA, which approved the vaccine for people over 16, the most common side effects include pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills, joint pain and fever.
“Even after receiving the vaccine, it’s important to stay masked,” said Peters, who added that he will continue to follow the guidelines.
“The vaccine has been shown to be 94% effective,” he said. “That means for 6 out of 100 people it won’t be effective.”
“It’s important to keep following the guidelines,” he said.
Dr. Brij Bhambi, medical director of Bakersfield Heart Hospital, became the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the hospital on Thursday.
And ICU nurse Lucy Valdovinos-Barrison was the first hospital nurse to receive the vaccine.
But Bakersfield Heart Hospital went much further Thursday, vaccinating 75 doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists with potential exposure to patients or infectious materials.
There was also a sense of relief at Adventist Health Bakersfield after the center hospital received the first vaccine delivery. Dr. Ronald Reynoso, market medical officer for Adventist health in Bakersfield and the Tehachapi Valley, said the vaccine represents hope around the world.
“We are excited about the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine: it provides that hope that everyone has wanted in Kern County and the world,” Reynoso said in a statement. “We are honored that our caregivers are among the first to receive the vaccine as we protect our front – line staff and continue to care for our patients.
“We hope the vaccine will be administered more widely in the community as well,” he said.
Scott Thygerson, president of Kern Medical’s clinic and hospital operations, said East Bakersfield Hospital has been providing medical care to Kern residents for 150 years. And Thursday was one of those dates that will be remembered as historic.
Thygerson said, “It’s one of those momentous days in our community.”