Health care workers, firefighters, EMS personnel and nursing home residents are among the first wave of Americans being vaccinated against the coronavirus — and some are choosing to take their first doses in public view to demonstrate their trust in its safety.
KRBD’s Eric Stone was on hand Wednesday to bring us this audio postcard as a pair of workers at Ketchikan’s hospital stepped in front of cameras and microphones to take a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“After many months of great difficulty, pain and sacrifice, today marks a new beginning, one of hope,” said Dr. Peter Rice, the Medical Director at PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center. (Eric Stone/KRBD)
Registered nurse Amanda Schlecht receives her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. “A majority of the population trusts nurses and medical professionals — so if we’re out there getting the vaccine, I’m hoping that that will show the population, that it’s okay to get the vaccine, that it is safe,” Schlecht said. (Eric Stone/KRBD)
Family physician Dr. Charlie Jose receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. “In the Filipino community, there’s a lot of vaccine hesitancy, particularly with a dengue vaccine that was introduced back in our home country,” Jose said. (Eric Stone/KRBD)
“I think the important thing is that this is new technology, we are facing a new pandemic, and this is a lot safer than what has been introduced in the past,” Jose said. “Clearly, because I’m willing to put it in my body.” (Eric Stone/KRBD)
Jose and Schlecht each received a sticker reminding them their second dose is due in three weeks. This photo shows a blank, undated sticker. (Eric Stone/KRBD)
