Round of COVID-19 vaccine
A Starkville doctor was a part of the historic first round of Mississippi healthcare workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Emily Landrum, physician of the Family Clinic, was the first Starkville healthcare worker to receive the vaccine developed by Pfizer on Wednesday.
When it comes to fighting the war against the coronavirus, Dr. Landrum believes that the vaccine will be an essential tool moving forward.
“As more and more people become vaccinated, the benefit that we’ll get to have is to get some control over the pandemic and the virus in general,” Landrum said. “I think it’s just going to steadily increase our control of this thing. It’s a really great tool that we’ve got in the toolbox now to add with our masks, social distancing, and enhanced hygiene practice, but definitely still is a part of the toolbox. This is absolutely going to be a huge benefit, but still part of a group of things that we have to continue to do.”
Landrum also stated that even though a vaccine for the virus now exists, that the public will still need to practice the CDC guidelines such as wearing masks, being socially distanced, and frequently washing hands.
Along with preparing the distribution of the vaccine across the state, the Mississippi State Department of Health wanted the public to see that the vaccine is safe and ready.
“The Health Department has been incredible throughout the duration of this pandemic,” Landrum said. “I think that they have been working extremely hard, and working around the clock to just really give people the best education and information that they can use to understand things better, and apply those things to their everyday lives and situations. It’s been just like any other public health measure, something where education is really one of the best things that we can do. With the tools that we have now with social media and other media outlets, that’s something that’s really become their focus to just try and educate and really show people that it is something that is safe, good and we all recommend it.”
Ever since her inoculation on Wednesday, Landrum says that the only symptom she has been experiencing is some mild soreness.
Landrum has been documenting her reaction to the vaccine on her personal Facebook page as well as explaining how the CDC is tracking the reactions of others who have been vaccinated.
“I have never been the biggest fan of social media, but it has really become a tool that I found very useful,” Landrum said. “Not only for communicating with my colleagues about numerous things related to the pandemic, but communicating with my patients in a different way has been very useful. With documenting the vaccinations, I think people have really responded. I’ve gotten a lot more responses from people who have been following part of that story. I feel like them just seeming very appreciative and thankful that that information is out there is making them feel a lot more comfortable about the prospect of them getting the vaccine, so that’s something that I am going to continue to do when I get to my second dose and thereafter and just continue to use that as a means of education for people.”
Three weeks from now, Landrum will receive the required second dose of the vaccine, and she should have full protection from the virus a week after that.
The vaccine is projected to be available to the public by spring of 2021.