By Laura French
SEATTLE — A veteran paramedic has become the first member of the Seattle Fire Department to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Paramedic Alan Goto, who has been with the department for 22 years, received the first shot of the Pfizer vaccine alongside other healthcare workers at University of Washington (UW) Medical Center on Tuesday, according to a fire department press release.
Fire officials recognized Goto for his work on the department’s Mobile Assessment Teams, which went into long-term care facilities to conduct COVID-19 tests and identify and mitigate virus clusters, and for helping to train qualified staff at these facilities to manage their own testing.
“Alan’s commitment to fulfilling our mission of serving others has been significant during this pandemic. He has dedicated a considerable amount of time testing members of the public as a previous leader of our Mobile Assessment Teams, and works frequently as a nasal swabber at our test sites,” Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said in a statement. “And now, I’m so proud of Alan for taking the next step to ending this pandemic – being our first member to get vaccinated.”
Seattle EMS providers, healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents and staff will be the first in the city to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Thirteen healthcare workers, including Goto, were vaccinated at an event Tuesday, and more personnel are scheduled to be vaccinated beginning on Thursday, according to the Seattle Times. UW Medical Center plans to administer all of its 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by early next week.
“As public servants who have chosen to dedicate ourselves to protecting the community, getting vaccinated is the most relevant thing we can do in this moment to fulfill our commitment to serving the public,” Goto said in a statement.