First COVID vaccine recipient at Tacoma hospital hopes it brings ‘a little light’ to dark times
For Samantha Brocksmith, a charge nurse in the emergency department at CHI Franciscan’s St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Tuesday night was a landmark in her 16-year career at the hospital.
Brocksmith was the first employee at the hospital and among the first in Pierce County to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
So, as she was making history, at least at the hospital, how did it feel?
“Other than the people staring at me, I think it was just like a normal vaccination, to be honest,” she said Thursday. “It was basically painless and a lot of paperwork. We all have an appointment, and it’s a scheduled thing. Very official feeling. And then, you know, a poke in the arm, and they watch you for 15 minutes and send you on your merry way.”
Other than a sore arm, much like the after-effect of a tetanus shot, she said she’s had no side effects. She’s scheduled to get the second booster dose in January.
She works directly with COVID-19 patients, and she said the current surge had been demanding. Now that she’s vaccinated, she said, she doesn’t think she’ll feel much different being exposed to patients.
“We’re still masking, gloving, washing our hands a million times a day and wearing gowns, and taking all the normal precautions that we would. I do not feel invincible at this point yet,” she said. “The guidelines will remain the same.”
Along with other medical sites, the hospital has had its own bout of COVID outbreaks among staff and patients, and she couldn’t estimate how many at her job had already been sick.
“Patient-wise, we are seeing an uptick, you know, in the last two months especially,” Brocksmith said. “So it’s been a busy few weeks, and it’s tiring, but you push through.”
Employees were anticipating the arrival of the vaccines this week and had been keeping closer tabs since Sunday when the first trucks rolled out from the Pfizer plant in Michigan on the way to nationwide distribution.
“There’s definitely a little bit of buzz. We’ve been getting emails for probably a week or two ... we knew it was coming,” she said.
Knowing it will take time to get the vaccine distributed to everyone and then out to the general public, Brocksmith said, workers were keeping the vaccine in perspective as the slog of treating patients continues.
For now, top of mind is getting patients who are hospitalized well and on their way.
To celebrate the release of people treated inpatient — the more challenging and serious cases — “they get a little song,” she said.
Over the hospital speakers, they play The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.”
“Everybody knows when a patient gets discharged,” she said.
The reality of receiving the vaccine was still sinking in for her.
“I’ve talked to so many wonderful colleagues at work and friends who are also in the medical field, that they just have a lot of faith in the data,” she said. “And I believe in it. And ... I was super comfortable with it.”
“I am hopeful that it provides a little light to this pretty dark time.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 5:01 PM.
