Doc Of Suffolk's Coronavirus Patient Gets 1st Vaccine At Hospital

GREENPORT, NY — In a full-circle moment, the physician who treated the first coronavirus patient in Suffolk County back in March was the first to receive a vaccine at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital on Monday.

Emergency Department Chief Dr. Lawrence Schiff was the first person at SBELIH to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. While his colleagues looked on, Dr. Schiff shared a message with the public: The vaccine is safe.

“I’m extremely grateful to be part of the solution to this disease that has tragically impacted so many,” Dr. Schiff said. “This vaccine allows me to continue safely caring for my patients, while better protecting my family, friends, and community.”

Vaccines will be administered according to criteria from the New York State Department of Health, which includes a mix of physicians, residents, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, and other hospital staff, SBELIH said. The vaccine administration will be staggered to ensure staff members have the ability to continue providing necessary patient care, and all hospital staff will be vaccinated as soon as possible.

The vaccinations came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization, paving the way for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed in the U.S., SBELIH said. The vaccine has been found to be more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 after two doses, SBELIH added.