ER nurse one of first vaccinated for COVID-19 in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — On Monday, Dec. 14, Amy Christopher was one of the very first people to get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Pikes Peak region.
Christopher is an Emergency Room nurse at UCHealth Memorial Central Hospital in Colorado Springs. She cares for COVID-19 patients in their worst and sometimes final moments. Christopher is looking forward to the added layer of protection the vaccine will give her against the virus.
“It feels like we’ve been waiting forever but it hasn’t been forever,” Christopher said. “I was just excited to get on board. We’re making history as one of the first 20, so that’s exciting.”
Some of the possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine include low-grade fever, muscle aches, and fatigue. But Christopher only felt a little soreness at the injection site.
Christopher understands why some people might be scared of the unknown long-term effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. But she says the unknown and sometimes severe effects of COVID-19 are much scarier.
“We’re seeing people come in months after they got diagnosed with COVID and they have blood clots in their lungs, blood clots in their legs. And clots are always going to increase your chance of heart attack or stroke. That’s really the scary thing. It’s not just the virus — it’s the after effects.”
Since Dec. 14, more than 16,400 UCHealth staff and providers have gotten the first round of COVID-19 immunization.
