UW-Health Gives Out First Coronavirus Vaccine in Wisconsin

Tuesday, December 15th, 2020 -- 11:16 AM

(WMTV) The first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine have rolled into Madison and UW Health has given out the first dose of the vaccine.

The first UW Health employee to get the Pfizer COVID-19 was respiratory therapist Tina Schubert, who received the vaccine around 2:30 p.m. from manager of UW Health’s employee health services Megan LaClair-Netzel.  Schubert described caring for COVID-19 patients as “exhausting” and “heartbreaking.”

The University of Wisconsin Health System announced Monday morning it received a batch of the vaccine and it isn’t wasting any time before delivering them.  UW Health announced earlier that employees were expected to start receiving shots as soon as Monday afternoon with the health system noting it is following federal and state guidelines that recommend vaccinating frontline healthcare workers first.

The Dept. of Health Services sent 3,900 doses in this first batch. After receiving the vaccines, UW Health has moved them to ultra-cold freezers, awaiting distribution.  Those 3,900 doses are all first round doses. The full Pfizer vaccine requires two shots, and UW Health expects that second round in the next few weeks.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.