‘This is a turning point in battle’: Healthcare workers at RUMC start to receive the coronavirus vaccine

rumc vaccine

Richmond University Medical Center staff prepare syringes with the coronavirus vaccine on December 15, 2020.Staten Island Advance/Jordan Hafizi

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — After battling coronavirus (COVID-19) the past 10 months, healthcare workers at Richmond University Medical Center were administered some of the first coronavirus vaccines in the nation on Tuesday.

Dr. Jay Nfonoyim was the first to be inoculated at the West Brighton hospital.

“This is not going to be the end of it,” he said. “It’s just a very good beginning. With this, we can continue building upon it and continue doing the good things we have been doing.”

Nfonoyim noted that while some people are apprehensive about getting vaccinated because it is new, the technology that created it has been around for decades.

Joining Nfonoyim in receiving the first part of the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Tuesday were other doctors, nurses, a respiratory therapist and a paramedic.

Registered nurse Carlee King said she is hopeful that this will be a major step forward on the road back to normalcy.

“I’m hoping that with the vaccine we could get back to the things we loved doing without masks on,” she said. “It’s important to try getting as many people as we can vaccinated so everyone can be protected.”

first vaccine rumc

The first vaccine at RUMC was administered to Dr. Jay Nfonoyim on December 15, 2020.Staten Island Advance/Jordan Hafizi

Those who were vaccinated will need to receive a second intramuscular injection in three weeks, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for use in people over the age of 16.

According to the FDA, reported side effects of the vaccine have included headache, fatigue and pain at the injection site. In rare cases, vaccine recipients reported a severe allergic reaction resulting in difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and throat, and a rash throughout the body. Those reactions occurred within an hour, according to the FDA.

Following state Department of Health guidelines and recommendations, staff members at the hospital will begin receiving the vaccines as they become available.

Dr. Daniel Messina, president and CEO of RUMC, was delighted to be able to begin the vaccination process and called the breakthrough a medical crossroads.

“This is a turning point in battle against COVID-19. There is an old saying that defines RUMC’s commitment to our community: ‘When the going gets tough, the tough gets going,’” Messina said.

Since the start of the pandemic, RUMC has treated and discharged more than 1,600 coronavirus patients.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.