The UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill was one of the first hospitals to receive the approved Pfizer vaccine to prevent COVID-19. With a shipment arriving Tuesday morning, hospital staff began vaccinating front line workers in the afternoon.

Loc Culp is the nurse manager for the UNC Medical Center’s medical intensive care unit and said she was the first person at the hospital to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Since March, Culp has seen her unit transform into the area where some of the most serious COVID-19 cases are sent. She qualified to be one of the first vaccine recipients, since she’s a health care worker who regularly experiences high-risk exposure to the virus.

Culp said Tuesday her perspective from the UNC Medical Center makes her thankful a new tool to fight COVID-19 has arrived. With many hospital beds full of coronavirus patients, providers have sometimes struggled to find space for those who need other services and resources.

“The vaccine couldn’t have come at a better time,” she said, “because our patients are so sick right and our hospitals are so crowded. It’s pretty distressing not being able to take care of everybody, take care of what we have right here [in the community.]”

Including Culp, 30 staff members at the UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough received vaccinations on Tuesday. 2,500 doses will be distributed at the hospital over the next week, as well as thousands of others at UNC Health locations across North Carolina.

Jorge Gutierrez, a Spanish interpreter who’s working primarily in the MICU, also received a shot on Tuesday. He said getting the vaccine made it “an amazing day” because it helps protect him during bedside work with Spanish-speaking coronavirus patients, something he says he’s developed a new appreciation for.

“One of the things this [pandemic] has shown us is the importance of having someone who speaks your language helping you communicate at the bedside with providers. It’s something you cannot substitute that easily or complete with the telemedicine efforts we’ve seen happening here.”

While these initial vaccine doses are limited and will largely be for health care workers and long-term care patients, Infectious Disease Physician Dr. David Wohl said it will have an impact. He said no drop in new cases will be immediately seen but will help health care workers be encouraged as they continue caring for patients.

“I think it offers hope where things have been darkened,” said Wohl, who also received the vaccine on Tuesday. “The number of people who are sick, that Loc has to take care of and Jorge have to help with, has just grown tremendously and is dispiriting. I think, on the one hand, just having this ray of sunshine that this could lead us to the beginning of the end, is critical.”

UNC Health is not making getting a COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for its staff. But Culp said her nurses are ready to roll up their sleeves.

“I don’t see any hesitancy,” she said. “A lot of my staff are just waiting for when they will get their chance to get the vaccine. We see what happens to our COVID-19 patients and it’s really hard being [in] the health care end and watching our patients go through this. So, my team is ready.”

Photo via UNC Health.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

 

Related Stories
‹
UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill to Receive Early COVID-19 Vaccines for Staff
As the first wave of early COVID-19 vaccines are distributed across North Carolina, the UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill is expected to be one of the first hospital locations to receive doses. UNC Health said Monday the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services alerted the health care system Sunday about vaccines being […]
WHO Downgrades COVID Pandemic, Says It’s No Longer Emergency
Written by MARIA CHENG and JAMEY KEATEN The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. WHO first declared COVID-19 to be an emergency more […]
Orange County Ends COVID-19 Testing Services After Nearly 3 Years
After nearly three years of offering PCR tests for COVID-19, the Orange County Health Department has officially halted its testing services.
China’s Xi Faces Threat From Public Anger Over ‘Zero Covid’
Written by DAKE KANG Barely a month after granting himself new powers as China’s potential leader for life, Xi Jinping is facing a wave of public anger of the kind not seen for decades, sparked by his “zero COVID” strategy that will soon enter its fourth year. Demonstrators poured into the streets over the weekend […]
On Air Today: Dr. Abhi Mehrotra of the UNC Medical Center
With UNC Health implementing a new policy where asymptomatic patrons cannot be COVID-tested in emergency departments, Dr. Abhi Mehrotra of the UNC Medical Center joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell to detail how this could help hospitals. Plus: Mehrotra details what the Orange County community should currently keep in mind when visiting emergency rooms.
OC Receives More Vaccine Allocations After Three Weeks of No Shipments
Until the federal government increases allocations for North Carolina as a whole, smaller counties in North Carolina like Orange county will receive fewer or no vaccine allocations.
NC Mulls Incentives for Prison Inmates Who Get Vaccinated
North Carolina prison officials are considering offering rewards to inmates who accept a coronavirus vaccine that will soon become available to them. Todd Ishee, commissioner of prisons, said at a Thursday news conference that the Department of Public Safety is considering offering prisoners a greater number of guest visitations and other perks if they choose […]
U.S. Close on Deal With Pfizer for Millions More Vaccine Doses
The U.S. government is close to a deal to acquire tens of millions of additional doses of Pfizer’s vaccine in exchange for helping the pharmaceutical giant gain better access to manufacturing supplies. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the deal is under discussion and could be finalized […]
Governor Cooper Visits UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill to See Vaccinations
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Secretary of the state health department Dr. Mandy Cohen visited Chapel Hill on Thursday to see frontline health care workers receive their COVID-19 vaccines. UNC Health staff at the Medical Center in Chapel Hill have been receiving initial doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine since Tuesday, one of 11 hospitals […]
UNC Health Begins to Lift Visitor Restrictions at Triangle Locations
UNC Health is easing its visitor restrictions for the first time in months, citing requirements to continue protecting patients and staff from COVID-19. The health system issued a release on Monday saying effective immediately, patients at the UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill, UNC Hospitals in Hillsborough and the UNC REX Hospital in Raleigh are […]
›