COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tuesday marked a historic day for two major hospital systems in the Midlands. Both Lexington Medical Center and Prisma Health received their first shipments of the coronavirus vaccine.
Lexington Medical Center received 2,925 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and Prisma health received 9,750 doses to split between their Midlands and Upstate locations.
The shipments came in boxes of dry ice to ensure the doses stay at the required temperature of -94 degrees Fahrenheit.
Both hospital systems have the proper freezers for storing the shots and began vaccinating their frontline employees Tuesday.
"We did a trial run," said Dr. Kevin Kopera with Prisma Health. "So, we administered 12 vaccines in the Midlands and 10 vaccines in the Upstate."
Kopera added that they’ll have a full schedule of vaccinations for their healthcare workers starting Wednesday.
Registered Nurse at Lexington Medical Center, Ethan Rucker said, "I’m very proud to be the first one. It’s been a crazy ride in 2020 getting to this point."
Rucker was the first employee at the hospital to be vaccinated. He’s been part of the Lexington Medical's covid unit since March.
"It's just that extra boost of confidence going into these rooms and helping these patients out -- to know that we have a vaccine and we’re going to be taken care of," Rucker said.
He added that getting the vaccine was easy and painless. After waiting 15 minutes, Rucker headed back up to work to care for those currently battling the virus.
Lexington Medical Center said they plan to vaccinate 50 employees a day -- starting with those that are most at risk for contracting COVID-19. However, the vaccine is not mandatory.
"I like to say this is the beginning to the end, I hope," said Dr. Steve Shelton, the COVID-19 Incidence Commander at Prisma Health. "I hope this is the start, as we move forward, to the end of all this."
Getting ready to administer the vaccines took major team work and preparation said Shelton, and they’re excited to keep moving forward.
All hospital employees that were vaccinated today will receive their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in about three weeks.