Methodist Dallas Plans To Vaccinate Over 100 Employees Today
Have you ever known anyone to get excited or look forward to getting stuck with a needle? Today, frontline medical workers across the country are excited to be first in line for the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer. Today medical facilities in Texas received,19,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. An additional 19 sites will receive 75,075 doses on Tuesday, including Dallas Parkland Hospital and Dallas UT Southwestern. Texas is slated for 1.4 million doses allocated through the end of the year.
In Dallas/Ft. Worth, at 10:10 am today, Methodist Health System began administering shots to some of its frontlines workers. The first employee to get the Pfizer vaccine was 51-year-old Teresa Mata. She is an environmental services employee who cleans rooms in the emergency department at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Teresa is a mother of four daughters. Ms. Mata was very excited to be the first person, she loves her job and wanted to protect her colleagues and family.
Methodist has plans to vaccinate more than a hundred employees today and then begin again in the morning. The Methodist Health System has a total of 5,850 doses they plan to administer across the Methodist Health System over the next few weeks.
Methodist Health Staff React To Getting Vaccine
Dr. Zachary Dreyfuss/Methodist ICU Physician, said it was an emotional and exciting day. “This is the beginning of hopefully the end of the pandemic. To do this on this day just means so much to all healthcare workers.I want to set an example for everybody, and just get back out there and get back into the trenches, said Dr. Dreyfuss.
“Seeing the first doses of vaccine arrive in Texas is an important milestone signaling that a return to our way of life is within sight. We cannot stop short of the finish line. This hope should lift our spirits and strengthen our resolve to do what must be done to end the pandemic.” DSHS Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD.
Diana Alonzo, Methodist Emergency Nurse, said it’s thrilling to get the vaccine on the first day. She wanted to set an example for the community, her co-workers and her family by getting vaccinated. While she says she understands people’s concerns and fears, she says there are a lot of smart people that worked on the vaccine and the science behind it.
It’s important to remember getting vaccinated is the first step. It’s still very important to continue wearing your mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands frequently.
