MADISON — The first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has arrived at UW-Health, officials said Monday.
UW-Health said it had received the first vaccine shipment Monday morning, after emergency approval by the FDA over the weekend.
The first people to receive the vaccine will be UW-Health employees.
Cheers erupted at UW Health on Monday as respiratory therapist Tina Schubert was the first employee to get the vaccine at 2:30 Monday afternoon.
"It's important because so many people have died from it," Schubert said.
Schubert was emotional, understanding the magnitude for a state ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We need to save lives," she said. "We need to do our part."
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"This afternoon, the first UW Health employees will receive the vaccine, following federal and state guidelines to begin vaccinating front line healthcare workers," said UW-Health in a press release.
The vaccine was transported to "ultra-cold freezers" and will be stored there for distribution.
Respiratory therapist Tina Schubert became the first person to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, followed by UW Health Nurse Mavic Tjardes, care team leader on one of University Hospitals COVID-19 units, and Dr. Ann Sheehy, UW Health Hospitals, who treats COVID-19 patients,