Photo courtesy SMH: Dr. Manuel Gordillo receives a Moderna vaccine for COVID-19.

“Hope is here at SMH!”

The subject line of the email disclosed a sense of hope that largely felt absent in this year's pandemic. But this message announced the arrival of a vaccine that offers a path to normalcy, in the halls of Sarasota Memorial Hospital and beyond. On Tuesday morning, more than 9,600 doses of a vaccine produced by Moderna arrived in Sarasota.

“Seeing that is something I will never forget in my life,” said Dr. Manuel Gordilla, SMH’s infectious disease specialist .”All of us have never been through a year this difficult. In the hospital, in the community, in our families, in the country, this is a year to be remembered. To finally receive the vaccine we’ve been talking about, that we’ve been hoping for,and to receive it right before Christmas and right before the New Year, being able to tell our coworkers and their families, yes the vaccine is here, it’s just out of this world.”

Allison Gottermeier, a SMH spokeswoman, said more than 900 vaccines had been administered in the hospital as of noon on Wednesday. Gordilla was among the first to receive an inoculation, with the hospital sharing images to the public in hopes of raising public confidence in the safety of the Moderna shot.

Gottermeier said the first vaccines will go to frontline health workers, including nurses, respiratory therapists and hospital staff involved with patient care. 

Meanwhile in Manatee County, a pop-up center set up to administer shots began vaccinating frontline workers there on Tuesday as well. A total of 115 first responders from county EMS and fire departments were treated on Tuesday. Around 2 p.m. Wednesday, the county Public Safety Department announced it had run through its first shipment.

“More vaccine doses will be arriving soon and planning is underway for community inoculations,” read an announcmenet by the department.

Manatee Memorial Hospital began administering its first vaccines on Wednesday. also from Moderna. The first four shots were administered to hospital staff at 1 p.m. The first went to nurse, Joanne Nipper and Jerry Larona. After that, Dr. Ralph Gonzalez, Neurology chief of staff, and Dr. Jay Dominguez, chief resident and internalist, recieved immunizations.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office is managing how vaccines get distributed throughout Florida by now. Lobbying has already begun on who should be next in line for receiving shots, whether that’s elderly populations at nursing homes, essential workers at grocery stores or even Uber drivers risking exposure each day.

The Centers for Disease Control say essential workers and those older than 75 should be priorities. DeSantis said he will prioritize the elderly.

Photo courtesy SMH: Dr. Manuel Gordillo receives a Moderna vaccine for COVID-19.