Tuesday marks year since Jacksonville’s 1st COVID-19 shot was administered

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tuesday marks a twelvemonth since the erstwhile CEO of UF Health Jacksonville, the late Dr. Leon Haley Jr., rolled up his sleeve and got the archetypal COVID-19 vaccine successful the city.

“This is simply a humbling moment,” Haley said Dec. 14, 2020. “This is conscionable the opening of a agelong battle.”

After Haley — who died successful July 2021 successful a idiosyncratic watercraft mishap successful South Florida — got the changeable of the Pfizer vaccine, unit gathered astir the vaccination tract successful the lobby cheered. Shots were past administered to different doctors, nurses, a pharmacist and further front-line unit moving closest with COVID-19 patients.

At the time, hospitals were packed arsenic the federation fought the archetypal COVID-19 strain. Then came the deadlier delta variant. Now, the federation faces a caller menace of the omicron variant.

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Dr. Chirag Patel, with UF Health Jacksonville, says that careless of the strain, the vaccine is the champion defence against COVID-19.

RELATED: It’s been a twelvemonth since Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was approved. Here’s a look backmost astatine what’s happened since then

An analysis Tuesday of information from South Africa, wherever the caller variant is driving a surge successful infections, suggests the Pfizer vaccine offers little defence against corruption from omicron and reduced, but inactive good, extortion from hospitalization.

“In this case, we’re truly talking astir Pfizer’s vaccine. There truly isn’t overmuch information from the different manufacturers, but here’s what I’ll say: Globally, the vaccine is doing its occupation successful preventing terrible corruption oregon decease for those who are vaccinated and particularly those who person gotten their booster,” Pateol said.

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In the caller South Africa findings, radical who received 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appeared to person conscionable 33% extortion against infection, compared to those who were unvaccinated, during the country’s existent omicron-fueled surge, but 70% extortion against hospitalization.

That’s wherefore aesculapian experts similar Dr. Anthony Fauci, manager of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, accidental it’s captious to get the booster.

“The concern is determination is nary uncertainty we tin accidental that optimal extortion erstwhile you woody with an mRNA is with 3 doses. There is nary uncertainty astir that — some for the durability of the protection, arsenic good arsenic the extortion against the omicron variant,” Fauci said.

And determination was immoderate bully quality from Pfizer connected Tuesday astir its COVID-19 pill, which would beryllium prescribed by a doc and utilized to dainty COVID-19.

The institution said full results of its 2,250-person study confirmed the pill’s promising aboriginal results against the virus: The cause reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by astir 89% among high-risk adults erstwhile taken soon aft archetypal COVID-19 symptoms.

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Pfizer’s information could assistance reassure regulators of its drug’s payment aft Merck disclosed smaller-than-expected benefits for its cause successful last testing. Late past month, Merck said that its pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by 30% successful high-risk adults.

But Patel says the champion enactment of defence to not being hospitalized oregon dying from COVID-19 is not getting the coronavirus successful the archetypal place.

“So spell retired determination and get your vaccine,” Patel said.

And that connection comes arsenic the United States is connected the verge of different somber milestone: 800,000 deaths owed to COVID-19.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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