NEW ORLEANS– It was a monumental day at University Medical Center where healthcare workers like Kim Alveris were the first here to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
“I feel great, emotional, and excited,” she said.
Kim’s a housekeeper on the floor where the COVID-19 patients stay and she caught COVID herself, so today had a significant meaning for her.
Along with Kim, Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the City’s Health Director got the vaccine today, and stands by its safety.
“I got it to really show my family and friends who have been asking about it. I want to show them that I’m willing to get it, and I think it is going to be safe, and I feel confident,” she said.
Avegno did the research beforehand and says very few people who were part of the vaccine trial had any severe side effects.
The CDC sets who gets the vaccines first, which are healthcare workers and the elderly in nursing homes. Next will be the ones most at risk of dying from COVID-19. The general public most likely will see vaccines for them in late-spring or early summer.
Dr. John Heaton, President of LCMC Health said, “This is probably the greatest medical achievement in such a short amount of time that I’ve ever seen or likely will ever see.”
