(Iowa City, IA) -- COVID-19 vaccinations are underway for University of Iowa Health Care employees. The vaccine, produced by Pfizer, was approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday, Dec. 11 and is prioritized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
“This is an historic moment to change the course of the pandemic and we are proud of our role as leaders in this process,” says Suresh Gunasekaran, MBA, chief executive officer of UI Hospitals & Clinics and associate vice president of UI Health Care.
More than 50 employees will receive the first of two doses of the vaccine today. U I Hospitals and Clinics was the first in the state to begin giving the vaccinations. The employees to be vaccinated are primarily front-line providers and staff working in the units that directly care for patients with COVID-19.
A survey of workers finds 85-percent indicated they are willing to get the vaccine when it's available.
Dr. Patricia Winokur, the executive dean of the Carver College of Medicine and the principal investigator for University of Iowa’s Pfizer clinical trial site, says she's confident in the vaccine’s ability to safely provide protection against COVID-19.
“Having coordinated our part of this clinical trial and seen first-hand how our participants have fared, I can assure you that all the data tells us that this is a highly effective and safe vaccine,” Winokur says. “When my turn comes to receive the vaccine, I will absolutely be rolling up my sleeve to get it.”
(Picture: Emergency Room nurse David Conway getting first COVID-19 vaccination)
(Photos from U Iowa Health Care)