SAN ANTONIO — UT Health San Antonio will began administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine starting on Tuesday. On Monday, it received 6,000 doses of the vaccine.
Front-line health care workers including doctors, nurses and care team members will be the first group of people who will get the shot. Dr. Adelita Cantu. Cantu, Associate Professor of School of Nursing, will be among the first group of people to get the shot.
Cantu said this moment is truly historic.
"Once in a generation," she said. "And we are all living history. Seeing that first truck roll out, it was like, Yes! I am just so thrilled to be a part of getting our community of where we need to."
The San Antonio native said public health is her passion, and getting the shot means the world to her and her community.
"This is that first step in getting that herd immunity that we need in this community," she said. "So, being on the ground level of that is exciting."
UPS unloaded the 'boxes of hope' Monday morning at UT Health San Antonio. It is one of four sites across Texas to receive the first shipment of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine.
"We need to get as many people vaccinated as possible to create that herd immunity, which will then protect people who cannot get it," Cantu said.
On Tuesday, UT Health San Antonio plans to give out 200 shots. It is a two-shot process. The second shot will be given out in three weeks.
According to local leaders, San Antonio hospitals will receive shipments of the vaccine sometime this week.