SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - Christmas is long past, but the relief Cathy Bainbridge saw in dozens of Woodbury County residents who received the COVID vaccine last week brought a particular carol to mind.
As she administered the vaccine in the first of the large-scale public vaccination clinics Feb. 10, she felt the hope in people that maybe, just maybe, their lives might soon regain a bit of normalcy after more than a year of enduring a pandemic.
It made her think of a line from the first verse of “O Holy Night” that goes: “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.”
“People really felt the thrill of hope being able to receive the vaccine. I just felt the day was hopeful, it felt full of hope,” said Bainbridge, a Siouxland Community Health Center registered nurse who came in on her day off to administer the vaccine at the Tyson Events Center.
The Sioux City Journal reports more than 3,000 people, many of them age 65 or older, turned out for two recent clinics. Another 1,000 or more were expected at last Wednesday’s clinic.
All received the first dose of a vaccine that could finally help end a pandemic that’s disrupted everyone’s life and caused so much worry and death. Bainbridge said some recipients told her they hadn’t seen their grandchildren in more than a year. Teachers who risk exposure each day in their classrooms began arriving later in the afternoon once school was out.
Every one of them was grateful. They left looking ahead to maybe getting out a little bit more, getting their lives back.
“To be able to provide this service for them, it was great to provide a sense of relief. There’s a lot of people that are anxious to be able to receive the vaccine. I don’t think there was one person who didn’t thank us,” said Shelby Petersen, director of operations at Siouxland Community Health Center, who administered the shots both days last week and again on Wednesday.
As health care workers, Bainbridge and Petersen were among the first to receive the vaccine. Now that the vaccine is being made available to more Iowans, including those over age 65, teachers, first responders and other essential workers, they’re seeing other people, many of them vulnerable to an infection, eagerly stepping forward to get that hoped-for immunity.
Their thankfulness made the long hours of giving shots worth it.
“I was overwhelmed. I can’t overstate that. I was overwhelmed with gratitude over and over,” Bainbridge said. “It was one of the most gratifying days of my career as a nurse.”
COVID-19 has left many of us feeling emotionally overwhelmed at times. Health care workers especially.
Many of the nurses administering shots came in on their day off, Petersen said, but they didn’t mind. Giving up a day off to give shots to fight the virus is better than the extra days health center staff members have worked performing COVID tests to see if people are infected.
“I’ve worked here 27 years. Parts of the past year have been the most challenging,” said Petersen, who had COVID-19 herself in November. “When we did this (vaccination) clinic, it was a relief for myself and the staff. Finally there might be some relief and get back to normal.”
They, like the rest of us, are tired of COVID, but the clinic was a happy, hopeful event.
Sure it was a bit hectic. Bainbridge administered shots nonstop for four hours without a break at that first clinic. But for the most part, it ran smoothly. Many of those who received the vaccine told her they didn’t have to wait very long.
“I felt like I was really able to help people move on to normalcy,” Bainbridge said.
But then, what’s a few minutes in line after a 12-month wait to have a little normalcy restored?
You can bet they were thrilled to be there and were rejoicing on the way out as the vaccine began to flow through their bodies.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.