Mercy doctor is first in St. Louis area to be vaccinated against COVID-19
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ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — It is an historic day in the battle against the coronavirus.
The first vaccines arrived in cities around the United States including the St. Louis area. Mercy Hospital South began vaccinating their staff at 1:30 p.m. Monday. The hospital will start in prioritized groups in accordance with federal and state guidelines.
Dr. Aamina Akhtar, an Infectious Disease Specialist, was the first to receive the vaccine at Mercy Hospital South.
“The atmosphere in the hospital feels like a Cardinals’ baseball game,” Akhtar, 47, said before being vaccinated. “It is something we have been eagerly waiting for.”
“We want to get this started. This is the first step to ending this pandemic,” Dr. Akhtar said.
The following frontline workers who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients will get the vaccine first: Nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and those working in housekeeping and nutrition services.
“People in this room will remember where they were when the first COVID-19 vaccine happened,” Akhtar said. Several hospital workers stood outside the office and peered in through the glass, applauding when the vaccination was done.
Missouri expects to receive more than 220,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines by around Christmas. News 4 reached out to SSM and BJC on when they should expect vaccines to arrive and found SSM expects to receive a shipment around Dec. 22 while BJC is expecting their batch later this week.
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