Frontline healthcare workers begin receiving final dose of COVID vaccine
Today healthcare workers at UT Health San Antonio are getting their second and final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“This is so cool!” said Olivia Ponton, a nursing student administering the vaccine on Tuesday. “Honestly it's so cool to be able to participate in this."
Students like Ponton and Thomas Knabe are making history by giving out shots of hope from these little glass vials
“It’s incredible to be able to give something to these people and just watch them smile and watch them know that there's a little bit more of chance we're getting back to normalcy faster,” Knabe said.
The glimmer of hope, which began three weeks ago, is starting to slowly gain momentum.
“I think every person that gets vaccinated is one more glimmer of hope we may be seeing the end,” said Dr. Thomas Patterson.
Dr. Patterson and his wife, Dr. Jan Patterson, take care of patients in the COVID wards at University Hospital.
“It’s sad to us to see all these people coming in you know so sick and suffering this close to the end, this close to the vaccine,” said Dr. Jan Patterson.
Don Jenkins is a professor of surgery at UT Health San Antonio and got his second dose on Tuesday. He’s also a trauma surgeon at University Hospital.
"The emergency department at University Hospital is full of COVID patients,” said Jenkins. “Yesterday probably every third patient over there yesterday was there for COVID signs or symptoms.”
Doctors say it'll take about a week before the vaccine fully reaches its 95 percent effectiveness.
"We still get to be a part of helping keep everyone safe in our neighborhood and our area,” Ponton said.
Only about 200 got their final dose on Tuesday.
The goal is to vaccinate around 1,000 each day starting Wednesday morning.
