UConn Health

December 22, 2020 | Lauren Woods - Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine

UConn Health Workers ‘Feeling Great’ a Week After Getting COVID-19 Vaccine

A week after getting vaccinated against COVID-19, UConn Health workers say they're feeling well and excited to see the vaccine roll out across the state.

UConn Deputy Chief of Police Maggie Silver receives a vaccine for COVID-19

UConn Deputy Chief of Police Maggie Silver receives a vaccine for COVID-19 on December 15, 2020 (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

UConn Health received its initial COVID-19 vaccine shipment from Pfizer on Dec. 15, and that afternoon vaccinated its first 35 employees with their first of two doses of the vaccine, recommended to be administered three weeks apart.

One week later, some of those employees – among the very first people in the U.S. to be vaccinated – offered their perspective for the nearly 900 employees who followed them, and the many more employees and others to come, so they can have a greater sense of what to expect.

“I feel great,” says UConn Health CEO Andy Agwunobi. “Just a little bit of soreness around the injection site, but otherwise great.”

“I haven’t developed any symptoms after getting the vaccine.  I’m feeling great,” says Dr. David Banach, Hospital Epidemiologist and Infectious Diseases expert at UConn Health.

“My arm was sore for one day like a flu shot, but I had no other symptoms and have none including no arm soreness,” says Dr. Robert Fuller, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine.

“Excellent! I had a little arm soreness for about 24 hours but I get that with all my shots, so it wasn’t a surprise. No other symptoms at all! It was spectacular,” says Dr. Alise Frallicciardi of the Emergency Medicine Department. “Go science!”

“I am feeling just fine after the vaccine,” says Maria Clement, an APRN in Employee Health. “Approximately seven hours post-vaccine, my upper arm became sore at the injection site, and that continued through the next day. Other than that, it was fine. I was excited to be part of the first UConn Health team to receive it and I am ready for the second one.”

“The injection was painless,” says John Lombardi, of Facilities Management at UConn Health. “I just relaxed my arm muscle and it was done.  I had no side effects other than very slight soreness in the shoulder muscle for a few days. This was okay and welcome, as it reminded me of how fortune I am to have my body building antibodies to protect me from the COVID-19 virus and from spreading the disease, especially to my family.”

“I feel well! Aside from mild arm soreness, there were no concerns or issues,” says Dr. Raymond Foley, director of UConn John Dempsey Hospital’s Medical Intensive Care Unit.

“All is well. I had no side effects.  Several of my coworkers are concerned about the vaccine or its side effects because it is issued under an emergency authorization. I hope that my experience helps diminish their concerns, because I believe that the vaccine’s known benefits outweigh the possible side effects,” says Maggie Silver, Deputy Chief of UConn Police on the Farmington campus.

“All good! I am feeling great. The day after, my arm was a little sore, but that went away the following day. I didn’t feel any difference with energy and didn’t have a fever,” says Anne Horbatuck, VP of Ambulatory Services for UConn Health.

“After all the hype it was anticlimactic,” says Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, Chief of Infectious Diseases at UConn Health. “It was basically just like the flu shot, a tiny bit of soreness for a day, and nothing more.”

Learn more about UConn Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Program and the latest FAQs about the vaccines.