Dec 18, 2020
On Friday, December 18th, Chinese Hospital began its first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations for its frontline healthcare workers, who have protected and cared for the community since the onset of the pandemic. The administered vaccines were developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the first FDA authorized vaccine that has proven to be 95% effective in protecting against COVID-19.
“We are urging all our medical and frontline staff to receive the vaccine as soon as possible because the vaccine is our community’s best defense again COVID-19,” said Dr. Justin Quock, Chief Medical Officer of Chinese Hospital. “COVID-19 vaccines require two doses, given several weeks apart, to be fully effective.”
“We have developed a tracking system to track who has received the first dose and when they’ll need the second dose. Per state and local guidance, the next phase of vaccinations will be for other hospital & medical staff, community physicians, and essential healthcare workers in the Chinatown community,” said Gina Yam, Director of Operations of Chinese Hospital.
“The virus has killed over 21,000 people in California. After battling the pandemic for almost a year, we can see the light in the tunnel as the first round of COVID-19 vaccines is administered in our community,” said Dr. Jian Zhang, Chinese Hospital CEO. “We hope the vaccine can put the outbreak to an end, restore our economy, and help everyone get back to normal life.”
One of the first person to be vaccinated at Chinese Hospital is Mr. Marcus Leung, a nurse who has been taking care of COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic. “I’m very honored and excited to be the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine at Chinese Hospital,” said Marcus. “I would like to thank Chinese Hospital for making this possible and providing the vaccine so quickly to protect the frontline staff and our patients. Since the beginning, Chinese Hospital has strived to ensure that my colleagues and I have been adequately protected by providing PPE, and now by offering the vaccine.”
Chinese Hospital will work closely with leaders and partners from the city, the state, and community to develop a community vaccination program. Our goal is to ensure everyone in the community will have access to the vaccination when it is widely available.
“It is just the beginning, and there is still a long march ahead,” said Dr. Zhang. “It is important to remember that the virus is still in our community, so we must remain vigilant without lowering our guard. Masking and social distancing are just as important tomorrow as it was yesterday. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all of our physicians, nurses, and staff who have been working tirelessly to safeguard our community during this time of crisis.”
