— 
Pfizer vaccines administered to frontline physicians and nurses at AdventHealth, as the FDA considers approval for the Moderna vaccine this week.
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 17, 2020 – An historical week continues at AdventHealth as physicians provide insights on COVID-19 vaccinations for frontline health care workers with a look ahead to news about additional vaccines.
The AdventHealth Morning Briefingtoday featured Dr. Steven R. Smith, AdventHealth’s chief scientific officer and Dr. Regan Schwartz, chairman of emergency medicine for AdventHealth Central Florida, who talked about the positive rollout of the Pfizer vaccines so far at AdventHealth.
“We’re off to a really good start,” said Smith. “We have several thousand who have been vaccinated. We have been preparing for this for almost three months. All of the systems are in place… There is a lot of excitement in the lines. It has a very positive feel to it – a lot of high-fives – and I think it is going great.”
Schwartz and his team of emergency department clinicians were among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this week.
“We are thrilled and honored to be receiving the vaccines,” said Schwartz. “As frontline providers, we are frontline role models of something that is going to be very effective when treating this pandemic.”
Smith cautioned that even with the vaccine, the public should remain vigilant with COVID-prevention measures. “Wear your masks, stay within your bubble,” he said. “There is good capacity within the health care system for whatever we face, but please don’t let down your guard.”
We encourage you to refer to the video on the Life at AdventHealth Central Florida page to pull direct quotes from Smith and Schwartz.>