Some of the first Pfizer vaccines to protect against COVID-19 were distributed to parts of Florida earlier this week. Among the people to receive a dose during the initial rollout on Dec. 16 was a Keys orthopedic surgeon.
Derek Papp has been with Baptist Health South Florida’s hospitals in Homestead and Tavernier for two years. Working in the emergency room and intensive care unit, and conducting surgery on COVID patients throughout, Papp fell into a high-risk category that allowed him to be one of the first health care workers to receive the vaccine.
Papp first learned of the vaccine’s availability through communication he received the week before. On Dec. 16, Papp drove up to the Hilton Miami Dadeland where a conference center was set up for vaccinations.
“I picked the first day available because I wanted to get it done and I didn’t want to wait around,” Papp said. “They’re not distributing it to the hospitals. They’re doing it all at one place for doctors and nurses to get vaccinated.”
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine received emergency use authorization from the Federal Drug Administration on Dec. 11. The vaccine contains a small piece of the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s mRNA that instructs cells in the body to make the virus’s distinctive “spike” protein.
When a person receives this vaccine, their body produces copies of the spike protein, which does not cause disease, but triggers the immune system to learn to react defensively, producing an immune response against SARS-CoV-2.
Development of the vaccine happened in less than a year, and clinical trials were able to safely and effectively speed up mobilizing resources and cutting-edge technologies.
“The FDA’s authorization for emergency use of the first COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn.
Papp said he was excited to obtain the vaccine, as it was a chance to “get some freedom back.” Papp will have to go back in three weeks to get a booster shot.
