PHOTOS: First COVID Vaccines Administered At Teaneck's Holy Name
TEANECK, NJ — Ten Holy Name Medical Center employees received the coronavirus vaccine Thursday after spending months on the frontline of the pandemic, including some at the epicenter of it.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was delivered to the hospital Thursday, and, soon after, some were thawed out for use while others were prepped for storage in a negative-80-degree Celsius freezer, the hospital said.
For so many at the hospital, who have seen the devastation of the coronavirus first hand, this was a beam of hope in a year filled with anything but.
"Grateful for being given this opportunity so early, it was an emotional afternoon for our employees who told us why they chose to receive the vaccine," hospital officials said, in a Facebook post. "They think of their parents who they have not been able to see in over a year, their children, the family members they have lost to this cruel illness, and so many more life changing reasons."
The hospital has been in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic for most of the year, having treated nearly 5,000 patients by May. In July, the hospital reported that it was COVID-free, but as the summer turned to fall and fall to winter, they weren't letting their guard down.
A Holy Name official told Patch they were beginning to see a "consistent uptick in activity," and were refining their procedures for a surge of the coronavirus in November.
Still, on Thursday, officials and employees allowed for a brief sigh of relief.
"This is the beginning to an end of a devastating year and we encourage everyone to please get their shot," officials said.
Below are photos from the historic day:
Vaccines have been administered at hospitals across the state this week, including in Bergen County at Hackensack University Medical Center.
READ MORE: Hackensack University Medical Center Staff Receive COVID Vaccine
The first vaccine in the state was administered to emergency room nurse Maritza Beniquez at University Hospital in Newark.
"Although I'm living proof that PPE functions has kept me safe while at work, I'm honored to be the first person in New Jersey to receive this vaccine, which will limit the possibility of me contracting this disease and unknowingly transmitting it to others," she said.
READ MORE: First COVID-19 Vaccines In NJ Bring Hope To Embattled Hospital
Though hospital staff and officials have expressed hope on the horizon, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday it was no time for residents to let their guard down.
"This is a day that we have been waiting nearly a year for, and while we know this isn't the end, we are witnessing, at the least, a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel," said Murphy.
"Without question, we are still in for several hard months and we are going to face stiff headwinds from this second wave, but now our heroic frontline health care workers can begin to take care of their fellow New Jerseyans with a higher degree of confidence in their own protection," he added.
This article originally appeared on the Teaneck Patch
