Veteran caregivers react after COVID vaccine distributed in Green Country
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The Moderna COVID vaccine is now on the way to frontline medical personnel and high-risk veterans.
“It is exciting because we keep our staff safe," said Mark Morgan, Eastern Oklahoma VA Medical Center Director. "And then, because of doing that, we are able to take care of our veterans.”
Morgan says 500 employees have volunteered to have the vaccine.
That is good news for veterans Angela and Tony McMillan, who met and got married in the Army.
“We both went to the Gulf War together," Angela said McMillan said. "We had to leave our kids and they were extremely young, 10 months and 6 years old. We survived that."
Now, they are surviving the pandemic and looking forward to the vaccine, even if they can’t get it yet, they are glad the doctors and nurses that help veterans will.
“I am excited about them getting their shots because so many of the health care workers are getting infected on a daily basis," she said. "Some of the veterans are not wearing masks and then they come. I am extremely happy to see our health care workers get their shots because if they are well, they can take care of us.”
The Muskogee VA Medical Center received 1,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine. It will go to the frontline workers first.
“I said this really is the beginning of the end of our fight against the coronavirus," Morgan said. "That is why it is so important, but especially for our staff, we have the honor of providing healthcare to American heroes here in northeastern Oklahoma.”
Angela and Tony say they will get the vaccine as soon as it becomes available to them. They are not high risk, but they do go to the VA for medical care.
“When it is our turn, we will be ready, excited to take the vaccine," Tony said. "And we are going to encourage everyone we know to take the vaccine. We want to be an example as veterans to other veterans who are skeptical about this.”