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First COVID Vaccinations at UVA

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Doctors, nurses and support staff who care for COVID patients at UVA’s medical center began getting vaccinations Tuesday.  Sandy Hausman spoke with one of the first people in line.

As a doctor, Taison Bell was worried when surveys showed many African-Americans did not plan to be inoculated for COVID-19.

“I think when there’s a massive effort led by the government, particularly when it relates to something that’s going into your body, there could be a natural skepticism," he explains.  "The Black community has been burned by that before.” 

But as a Black man he was determined to set a good example, joining another African American physician, Ebony Hilton who got the first shot.

UVA plans to vaccinate about three thousand people over the next three weeks – medical and support personnel who are in daily contact with COVID patients.  Bell feels confident, noting he’s not among the first Americans to get a shot. 

"There were about 44,000 people in the Pfizer trial and around 30,000 in the Moderna trial," Bell says.  "We have good data showing that it’s safe and effective.

Credit UVA
Dr. Taison Bell was second in line when UVA began innoculating its frontline medical team against COVID-19.

Possible side effects include soreness at the injection site, headache, fever, body aches and chills – symptoms that usually emerge soon after injection. Bell says clinical trials allow us to look for more serious problems, and so far there have been very few.

“Most of the time if there is a side effect from a vaccine, it’ll be in the first few weeks, so the fact that we haven’t seen any long-term side effects is certainly good news.”  

Bell notes public sentiment is shifting, with the latest survey showing more than 80% of those polled intend to be vaccinated. The state’s health department will soon be sending vaccine to nursing homes and other settings where residents are at increased risk for COVID.

Sandy Hausman is Radio IQ's Charlottesville Bureau Chief