Coronavirus Vaccine

A nurse in California is one of the first to receive the second dose of the Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine
Monday morning. 

Helen Cordova, an intensive care unit nurse at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center,
was visibly exuberant under her mask as she sat in the patient’s chair. 

She said the second dose and getting closer to immunity is comforting.

“Having the vaccine is offering just a little more hope and that extra assurance that we’re a little
more protected. I think I compared the vaccine to sort of like an internal PPE that my body’s
building up and that’s really encouraging because I want to protect my family,” said Cordova,
who also lives with her mother who has an extensive medical history. “There’s always that fear
of ‘will I bring something home from work,’ even if I take all the precautions,” she told CNN
photographer Tom Larson.

Cordova said it is “mind-blowing” and “monumental” to receive the vaccination. She was

reluctant to call herself a hero.

“I’m a nurse, a daughter, aunt, friend. Hero — it carries a big weight in my eyes,” she said but
eschews the label. “This is what we went into the healthcare industry for,” she said humbly. She
is thankful for the opportunity to be among the first to receive the vaccine. Cordova was with
a group of nurses to receive the first group of Covid-19 patients, “so it was more of a coming full
circle.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wants to see all first responders, educators and
school staff to be vaccinated in the next few weeks of January, but reminded residents its
contingent on eligibility criteria.

Beginning Monday, testing site workers, contact tracers, outpatient and ambulatory care
providers, dentists, physical therapist, worker at specialized clinics and NYPD medical staff can
be vaccinated, he said. 

“We need to move quickly we need to move urgently,” he said adding “I want us to immediately
get to work expanding the number of people kind of people who can get the vaccine.” “I want in
the month of January, in the next few weeks, I want to see us start to vaccinate educators and
school staff, I want to see us vaccinate first responders of all kinds, cops, firefighters, across the
spectrum,” he added. Right now the focus is on healthcare heroes and nursing homes, he
reminded. The city is vaccinating in line with state guidance.
In order to achieve the goal of 1 million vaccinations by the end of January the mayor said the
city will need help, specifically “flexibility” from the state, “support” from the federal
government and for manufacturers of the vaccine delivering on schedule.

Sites are being expanded to increase capacity, officials said. The mayor announced two new pop-
up clinics, five new NYC Health + Hospitals vaccination sites and three new NYC vaccine hubs
to be propped up this weekend. The three hubs will be at educational buildings in Brooklyn,
Queens and the Bronx.

The first New York City healthcare workers to receive the vaccine will receive their second dose
this week, NYC Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said. He reiterated the need for expanded
eligibility guidelines and said the city would like to begin vaccinating its seniors mainly those
over 75 years of age.