By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
“I feel awesome,” declared Mary Wisinski, the first person at the Kent County Health Department to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
Distribution of the Pfizer vaccine is underway with the Kent County Health Department administering its first vaccine on Friday, Dec. 18, to Wisinski, the the department’s immunization program supervisor.
“This is an incredible day,” she said. “we’ve been working so hard to battle this virus, and some days, it felt like it got the best of us. This isn’t one of those days. This gives us hope — we’re going to beat this.”
Because Wisinski will lead the health department’s team of immunization nurses in administering the vaccine, she was among the first group deemed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to receive the vaccine.
The Kent County Health Department received 1,950 doses on Dec. 17 and will be administering those doses to individuals in the highest risk groups. which also includes Kent County area medical first responders.
Area Hospitals, such as Metro Health — University of Michigan Health, also began administering doses to its frontline healthcare workers. Metro Health began on Friday.
The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses that are administered 21 days apart. Most agencies, such as the Kent County Health Department, will receive its second does within three weeks.
Vaccines receive support
Both the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last week, received support from seven Catholic bishops in Michigan included Most Rev. David J. Walkowiak, Bishop of Grand Rapids.
The statement, which can be found at the Diocese of Grand Rapids website, states “It is morally permissible to receive the vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna. Neither of these vaccines have used cell lines originated in tissue taken from aborted babies in their deign, development and production. However, both Pfizer and Moderna vaccine did use such a cell line in the confirmatory testing. This connection to the abortion is very remote, however, it is important to keep in mind that there are varying levels of responsibility. Greater moral responsibility lives with the researchers than with those who receive the vaccine.”
The statement goes on that the Congregation for Doctrine of Faith indicates that it is morally permissible to be vaccinated if there are not alternatives and there are serious health risks as in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
For the full statement, click here.
Tracking the availability of the vaccine
As part of a consortium of West Michigan health departments and other health organizations, the Kent County Health Department announced the site VaccinateWestMI.com. The site is designed to provide information about vaccine availability, local distribution plans, safety and efficacy, and will be updated regularly as new information becomes available.
