(Update: Adding comments from vaccine recipient, St. Charles officials) I realize that it is just a first step in a long journey, ER doctor says
BEND, Ore (KTVZ) Nine months into the pandemic, the first health care providers from St. Charles-Bend were vaccinated Monday with Pfizer s COVID-19 vaccine.
It meant Dr. Frances McCabe got her work week started a little differently. It is wonderful to get this part of the process underway, McCabe told reporters.
She headed to a conference room, signed her name, took her seat and prepped for a Central Oregon first. Easy peasy, Dr. McCabe said as she was injected with the vaccine, at least 975 doses of which arrived at St. Charles last Thursday.
First St. Charles caregivers receive Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine dose
BEND, Ore. – At 11 a.m. Monday, the first group of five St. Charles caregivers made their way into the conference area at the Bend hospital to receive what many are calling a “shot of hope” in the arm.
“It is no small feat to set up a precision vaccination program so quickly. It really has been a great team effort,” said Dr. Fran McCabe, an emergency room physician at St. Charles Bend, who was part of the first group to be vaccinated in Central Oregon. “I feel very grateful to be included in the first group of hospital staff to receive this vaccine. While it’s very exciting, I realize that it is just a first step in a long journey and we will all need to remain vigilant.”