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Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital chief nursing officer Robin Steaban administers the hospital s first COVID-19 vaccine to Tesha Akins, Dec. 17Photo: Donn Jones, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
As I write this, many health care providers in Nashville are receiving the Pfizer-produced COVID-19 vaccine. As you read this, itâs likely even more medical workers will be receiving Modernaâs vaccine, which was cleared for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration late last week.
âBoth of them are really highly effective in the clinical trials, so weâre optimistic,â says Dr. Rand Carpenter, the Metro Public Health Departmentâs chief epidemiologist.
Nashville Tennessean
For ten months, Tesha Akins scoured the halls of Vanderbilt’s COVID-19 unit, cleaning between the illness and the death, spreading hope to patients isolated from their loved ones. She has been there when some went home. She has been there when some died.
Through it all, Akins has known that she too is at risk. It would be no surprise if the virus jumped from a patient to her, as it has to so many frontline healthcare workers combating the pandemic.
But when Akins arrives at work next week, she will be safer. Not immune, but resistant.
Nashville Tennessean
For ten months, Tesha Akins scoured the halls of Vanderbilt’s COVID-19 unit, cleaning between the illness and the death, spreading hope to patients isolated from their loved ones. She has been there when some went home. She has been there when some died.
Through it all, Akins has known that she too is at risk. It would be no surprise if the virus jumped from a patient to her, as it has to so many frontline healthcare workers combating the pandemic.
But when Akins arrives at work next week, she will be safer. Not immune, but resistant.