ER doctor at Wexner sees COVID-19 vaccine as another line of defense

COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Hospitals across central Ohio are getting ready for their first doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

Frontline workers at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center said they’ve been waiting to receive their COVID-19 vaccines for a long time, with one emergency room doctor saying he signed up as soon as he could.

Dr. Nicholas Kman said he has been part of the team at OSU Wexner that’s been working on who will be the first to get the vaccine since supply is limited in this first round.

Kman is scheduled to get his shot Tuesday morning, saying the medical center is expecting just under 1,000 doses this week.

Like other frontline workers, when in the emergency room, he said he’s been dealing with a lot of COVID-19 patients.

In addition to all the PPE and other safety measures, Kman said he’s looking forward to the vaccine because it’ll be another line of protection.

Seeing the vaccine being shipped out Sunday morning was an extremely welcome sight for him.

“I’m really excited and I know other folks that have been working hard with COVID patients are really excited to get it,” Kman said. “It was exciting to see that. I think everyone, it was a moment of relief. We’ve had so much darkness, to see it happening.”