Hospital workers get first COVID-19 vaccinations in Alaska

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) employee health nurse Emily Schubert (right) administers the COVID-19 vaccine to David Kwiatkowski, CRNA, (left) the morning of Dec. 15, 2020. Kwiatkowski is the third person in Alaska to receive the vaccine, according to ANTHC. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media)

The first doses of the coronavirus vaccine were administered in Alaska on Tuesday morning.

Among the first in line were a handful of employees at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage at a carefully monitored media event. The bulk of the vaccine will be distributed starting Wednesday at ANMC and Anchorage’s other large hospitals, administrators said.

The vaccination itself was straightforward. David Kwiatkowski, a nurse anesthetist, sat in a chair next to employee health nurse Emily Schubert who administered the vaccine.

After a few quick questions and Kwiatkowski’s verbal consent, Schubert grabbed a syringe and sucked out a few drops from a small vial. Inside are the invisible mRNA strands that instruct the body to build the characteristic spike protein of the coronavirus.

Once injected, they prompt an immune response from cells without the full effects of the disease. But the tiny vial itself is unassuming.

A picture of the COVID-19 vaccine, after the third person in Alaska received it the morning of Dec. 15, 2020, at the Alaska Native Medical Center. The bottle contains 1.8 mL of the vaccine, but just 0.3 is used for each dose. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media)

“It’s barely bigger than my thumb,” Schubert said.

Kwiatkowski pulled up his sleeve and before he had time to look down, it was over.

“I had numerous shots when I was in the military, and this is nothing compared to those,” he said.

Kwiatkowski works with COVID-19 patients regularly, so he’s at high risk of catching the disease and has seen its sometimes devastating effects.

While he’s heard some people have concerns about the vaccine, Kwiatkowski said it’s ultimately a matter of humility and trusting the American medical researchers who have worked so hard to produce it.

“There’s a lot of research and development behind the vaccine, long ongoing, more than I’ll ever know,” he said. “I just have to have trust in our leadership and the ability of the medical industry and health care here to make the right decisions for everyone.”

While these first shots won’t end the pandemic, Kwiatkowski said they’re an important start. And while he’s glad to have the vaccine, it won’t change anything in his life immediately.

As soon as he was done, Kwiatkowski went back to work.

This story will be updated.

Alaska Public Media

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