Rosetta Oliver, RN, an associate nurse manager at Cooper was the first team member vaccinated.
Cooper University Health Care, one of the first hospitals in New Jersey to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine, began vaccinating its team members on Tuesday, December 15, 2020.
“Today is a day filled with hope. We are 10 months into this COVID war and we can now finally see a clear path to victory. This virus has caused so much loss and suffering and we are hopeful that today marks the beginning of the end,” said Kevin O’Dowd, JD, Co-CEO of Cooper.
“Our courageous team has for the past 10 months been battling this virus, and while we must remain vigilant, this vaccine is a real breakthrough and is providing hope to our frontline teams as we go continue to care for COVID-19 patients,” said Anthony J. Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE, Co-CEO of Cooper
Rosetta Oliver, RN, an associate nurse manager at Cooper, was the first team member vaccinated. A 30-year employee of Cooper, Oliver said she was excited to be among the first in the state to receive the vaccine.
“I am honored to be the first to be vaccinated at Cooper. I have seen how serious this disease is firsthand, so I wanted to do this for my patients, their families, and for my own family,” she said.
Cooper received an initial allocation of about 975 doses and anticipates receiving enough doses to offer the vaccination to all 8,000+ Cooper team members over the coming weeks and months. The vaccination is voluntary.