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3 doctors who received the Pfizer vaccine discuss their side effects and why they chose to get vaccinated
3 doctors who received the Pfizer vaccine discuss their side effects and why they chose to get vaccinated
Nikhita MahtaniDec 22, 2020, 06:29 IST
Dr. Michael Bernstein receiving the Pfizer vaccine last week.Dr. Michael Bernstein
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Frontline
healthcare workers have been first in line to receive the vaccine, including three
doctors who spoke with Business Insider about what it was like to receive the first dose.
Dr. Michael Bernstein from Connecticut said he had muscle soreness for about 24 hours after the shot, as did Dr. Katie Passaretti from North Carolina.
Dr. Katie Passaretti receiving the vaccine on December 14. Dr. Katie Passaretti
On December 14, I was the first person to get the COVID-19 vaccine in North Carolina, where I work as the infectious-disease attending MD at Atrium Health. I wear a couple of hats in my job often I m actively seeing and treating patients admitted to the hospitals with infectious-disease issues, so the risk of me getting the virus is quite high.
You don t go into infectious diseases without acknowledging that some infections can be spread from patients to you while you are trying to heal them, but I feel a responsibility to treat patients with COVID-19 the same as I do for other infectious diseases.