HARLINGEN — Finally.
The moment for which so many people have awaited arrived Friday morning when Dr. James Castillo received a vaccine against COVID-19.
“I think this is really going to be the tipping point, the turning point in this pandemic,” said Castillo, Cameron County health director.
He was one of at least 500 physicians, nurses and other front line personnel to receive the vaccine Friday at Valley Baptist Medical Center.
“This is going to give us that extra layer of protection on top of our masks, on top of our precautions to be able to keep treating people,” Castillo said. “This is going to start getting into the most vulnerable patients as soon as possible and that will help us turn the tide really well.”
Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell hailed the historic event as other medical personnel showed up for their vaccinations.
“It really is a historic and great day here in Harlingen and Cameron County as we begin these vaccinations of the health care workers, our front line people who are helping us,” Boswell said. “Every one of these health care workers who work in our hospitals have exposed themselves to COVID-19 every single day for the last eight or nine months.”
Valley Baptist has received 3,000 doses, said Archie Drake, chief operating officer. Drake explained the state has developed a tier system to determine when someone can receive the vaccine.
“There are two tiers of folks, depending on their closeness to patients, the risk for working around patients who may have COVID,” Drake said. “They determined that there’s a tier one which includes those front line hospital workers. It includes employees and physicians and front line workers at long-term care facilities.”
Drake added that the first tier also includes EMS workers such medics transporting patients. It also includes some staff members that support medical personnel.
“We actually have ten vaccination stations and we’re running people through every 15 minutes in this location here,” Drake said. “People are pre-scheduled, so we know who’s coming in. We also have room for some walk-ins, so it’s going to be a big production today.”
He said vaccinations for the general populations might be available by late spring of 2021.
Physicians and hospital administrators expressed relief the vaccines had finally arrived.
“I woke up this morning with a sense of hope and relief for everything that we’ve gone through and everything that we’ve struggled with as a community over the last 10 or 11 months,” said Jennifer Bartnesky-Smith, chief strategy officer.
“It’s a true privilege and honor to be at this point now,” Bartnesky-Smith said. “There is some hope that we’re towards the ends and hopefully eliminating this deadly virus.”
Castillo said once 70 percent of everyone in the United States receives the vaccine, COVID-19 will be under control.
“This is the starting point of the end of the pandemic,” Castillo said. “Giving health care professionals and vulnerable patients this kind of protection against this illness is just an amazing testament to science and how quickly that was advanced.”
He and others emphasized, however, the importance of maintaining safety protocols — social distancing, wearing of masks, sanitizing hands — until the pandemic comes to an end. And maybe even longer.
Physicians have pointed out that some safety guidelines may remain in place for the long term. There has been a marked decrease in the infection rates of such illnesses as the flu since the guidelines were put in place.
