Just six hours after over 15,600 Pfizer vaccine doses arrived in San Bernardino County, the very first shot was given to ICU nurse Sonya Harrell at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Wednesday afternoon.
“For me, it means an end in sight to something we’ve been dealing with since March, so I’m really excited about it,” said Harrell.
Harrell was one of five high-risk frontline healthcare workers who were selected to be the first to receive the vaccine. The arrival is welcome news as the percentage of available ICU beds across Southern California fell to half a percent Wednesday.
“It’s absolutely exciting," said Arrowhead COO Andrew Goldfrach. "Through a coordinated effort, literally the same time that we were delivering our doses to Arrowhead, we were delivering them to all of the 18 hospitals within the county, whether it by air or truck. This way all the hospitals were able to get their allocation today to begin their vaccinations of their frontline staff all across the entire county.”
With over 112,000 health care workers in San Bernardino County, officials say it will take several weeks before all receive their first dose. About 30,000 more Pfizer doses are expected in each of the coming weeks.
Riverside County anticipates the arrival of its first shipment of vaccine on Friday.