Virus-Weary MelroseWakefield Hospital Begins Vaccines, See Hope

MELROSE, MA — Girish Dang early in the pandemic asked his wife if they should keep going to work. Dang is a psychiatric nurse at MelroseWakefield Hospital, and his wife works in a nursing home. Both are over 60 and live with her 92-year-old father.

She had already been infected with COVID-19 in April. The hospital had filled many of its hallways with beds anticipating an overflow. So when he asked if they should reconsider putting themselves at risk every day, it wasn't a question arrived at lightly.

"It was my wife who told me," Dang said, choking back tears. "She said, 'If everybody starts thinking this way, then the health care system in this country will collapse.'"

So Dang never stopped working full time at the hospital, missing only those two weeks he quarantined while his wife had COVID-19. The same went for her.

"That's why this vaccine is so essential for us."

Dang was among the first front-line workers to get the vaccine Wednesday afternoon at MelroseWakefield Hospital, a landmark day soaked in emotion and optimism.

The hospital received 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine early Tuesday morning. Five people were vaccinated later that day, and Wednesday marked the first vaccination clinic for workers. Some 40 people were expected to get vaccinated throughout the day, then 20 or so more each day, every day. The process isn't an exact science yet, but the important thing is people are getting vaccinated.

"It's a miracle," Kate Greene, the director of inpatient nursing, said moments after getting the shot. "This is what we've been waiting for. It's the light at the end of the tunnel."

As with all her co-workers, it's been all COVID-19, all the time at the hospital. The fight against the virus has been almost exclusively a defensive one, but the vaccine's arrival means front-line workers can finally go on the offensive.

"It's exciting to see front-line staff members that I've worked with for many years, now they have the opportunity to get protection against this disease," pharmacy director Nicole Clark said. "It's emotional."

Clark might have as much knowledge of the vaccine as anyone at the hospital. Its arrival is more than symbolic — it's the early beginning of a tangible shift toward something resembling normalcy.

"This could be it," she said. "This could be how we get there."

It's a deep exhale for those at MelroseWakefield. The hospital in April was in full crisis mode, increasing its capacity by nearly 50 percent by lining its halls with beds and setting up vacuum-sealed rooms. Fearing a surge of patients that would overload the computer system, they broke out the hard copies for recordkeeping.

The virus hit a lull during the summer, but it's back with a vengeance. Just this month, the hospital reinstituted visiting restrictions.

So workers know the vaccine doesn't mean they can let go of the rope. But there's finally reason for hope.

"It feels like a huge step forward," said Cheryl Warren, vice president of clinical support services.

Warren for the last nine months has had an additional role — she oversees the logistics of incident command during the pandemic, and she set up Wednesday's clinic.

She said there have been no hesitancies in anyone getting the vaccine — one that has been produced in record time and thought by some to be used as political currency. Workers have been telling her they're ready to pull their sleeve up as soon as they can.

"Looking at the numbers this week surpassing 300,000 deaths, the risk of contracting COVID far outweighs the risk of the vaccine," Warren said.

According to federal and state guidelines, the vaccination rollout puts front-line workers at the front of the line. People who work directly with COVID-19 patients or are at a high risk of exposure are being prioritized, regardless of if they are doctors and nurses or work in housekeeping.

While all eyes are on the people receiving the vaccine, the folks on the other end of the needle feel they are playing a vital part in the effort.

Liz Brown, a professor at the hospital network's school of nursing and a maternity nurse at MelroseWakefield, was administering some shots. It's in her blood — her mother was giving some of the early vaccines during World War II.

"It's kind of neat that I'm second-generation, doing something my mom did 70 years ago," she said.

Like her mom — and many of those on the front line of battling the pandemic — her individual contributions may fade to the memories of a few when things go back to normal.

But on Wednesday, after nine months of long shifts, anxiety and uncertainty, there was finally reason to celebrate and not just be celebrated. They're no longer alone in fighting the pandemic.

The vaccines have arrived.

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