Medical Partnership Community Gets Vaccinated

While less than 2/3 of the U.S. population is interested in receiving the vaccine, Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership medical students and faculty are leading by example and getting vaccinated themselves. Physicians and medical students are frontline healthcare workers helping to fight COVID-19 and fall in line with the CDC guidelines for phase 1a. Unfortunately, many have witnessed first-hand what COVID-19 can do or have lost loved ones to COVID-19.

Campus Dean Shelley Nuss hopes local communities will follow the lead and when given the opportunity, take the COVID-19 vaccine.

“There are lots of misconceptions about the vaccine, so it’s important to remember that the vaccine does not contain any live virus – we have to trust the research and science,” said Nuss. “Vaccination for COVID-19 is the next step in getting the pandemic under control.”

The Medical Partnership will now turn to giving the COVID-19 vaccine to those in our local communities through a partnership with the local department of public health.

“We hope these role models will encourage everybody to take the vaccine once it is available to them,” said Nuss. “Getting a COVID-19 vaccine can help protect you and others around you from COVID-19, particularly those who are most vulnerable.”

While the vaccine provides another level of protection from COVID-19, social distancing, good hand hygiene and mask wearing must continue even after vaccination since not all that receive a vaccine will be fully protected.  The CDC website will continue to provide updates as more individuals are vaccinated across the country.

“Just got my Moderna #1 COVID vaccine. I encourage all of you to get vaccinated when it becomes available to you. You know I would not say this unless I was confident that I was safe. Also, this is not about ourselves, but the welfare of other humans, fellow citizens, and, more importantly, our loved ones who might be higher risk. So GET VACCINATED!”

-Dr. Gerry Crites, Campus Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development

“I got the vaccine because I know communities of color are going to have lower vaccination rates in part due to long histories of distrust of the medical system (with good reason). I can’t be another reason for anyone to not get the vaccine.  In other words, I got vaccinated because it was more than just about protecting myself.”

-Dr. Achilia Morrow, Program Director of Internal Medicine Residency

“I got vaccinated because I know that along with mask wearing and physical distancing, vaccination is the best way to protect those around me and help us all get closer to the end of this pandemic.”

-Dr. Carrie Kelly, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

“I have had many friends lose family members. I lost my mother to this illness after many months of cautious and protective isolation in an assisted living home. Somehow the virus stealthily found its way to her, and despite her will to fight and the excellent care afforded her, she lost.

I had no reservation in considering the vaccine.  I try my hardest to do my part by wearing a mask (appropriately), distancing, and washing/sanitizing constantly.  If we hope to win this battle this is what we all have to do.”

Len DeRamus, PA-C, Instructor of Emergency Medicine

“Getting vaccinated is the best tool with masking and distancing we have to combat to save lives. It’s good science.”

-Dr. Suzanne Lester, Medical Director of MP Mobile/Athens Free Clinic

“Healthcare workers have seen the devastation caused by the pandemic while on the frontlines caring for those affected. They have seen loved ones lost and families separated. By getting the vaccine, healthcare workers are showing the community that we now have a safe and effective means to break this tragic cycle. The medical community’s ultimate goal is to save lives, and getting the vaccine is a way that everyone can help achieve this goal.”

-Megan Chesne, M3

“I took the COVID-19 vaccine to honor a movement toward creating a better tomorrow. I framed my card as a daily remind to myself about the people who lost their lives or loved ones – often isolated from family and friends in their last breaths of life. As medical students, we have a duty to lead by example and to use rapidly-changing evidence and relationships built on trust to empower our communities.”

-Artie McCarty, M1

“I got vaccinated to decrease the likelihood of transmission to both loved ones and strangers, and to set an example as a person who believes in the safety/efficacy/reliability of science.”

-Max Ribot, M1

“Getting vaccinated is so important to me because it means I can better protect my family, friends and community. We’re all longing for a time where we can safely hug our loved ones, enjoy a movie in the theater, and travel on a plane to a beautiful destination. Getting vaccinated is one step closer to being able to enjoy those wonderful things we miss so much.”

-Laura Pride, M2