"I would never ask them to do something I wasn't willing to do, so I feel it is important. Knowledge replaces fear."
HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) -- Alameda County officials began administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to hospital workers and first responders on Friday.
The county received about 12,600 doses, and St. Rose Hospital in Hayward was one of the locations selected for administering the shot.
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Hospital administrators say about 500 doses will go to hospital employees and another 1,500 shots will be reserved for first responders like paramedics and firefighters.
Curtis Jacobson, chief of the Fremont Fire Department, got vaccinated Friday morning. The chief said he wanted to lead by example.
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"I would never ask them to do something I wasn't willing to do, so I feel it is important," Jacobson said. "Knowledge replaces fear. I have done my research. I trust Dr. Fauci and trust Dr. Corbett. I think it's a good thing to do. We are in the business of going into people's homes every day."
Hospital workers and emergency responders are not required to get the shot, though it is being recommended.
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This event falls within the first phase of the State's framework for COVID-19 vaccinations, following the FDA's emergency authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
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