By Laura French
FORT WORTH, Texas — National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) President Matt Zavadsky encouraged EMS providers to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in a video PSA.
Zavadsky, who is also the chief strategic integration officer for MedStar Mobile Healthcare in Forth Worth, Texas, said in the video posted to the NAEMT’s YouTube page that he plans to get the vaccine himself “as soon as practically possible.”
“Many people have said that they’re concerned about it, however, the science that’s out, the testing it’s been through and the efficacy that the vaccines have gone through has been phenomenal,” Zavadsky said in the video.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, and the first doses were administered to healthcare workers across the country on Monday.
A survey of EMS providers conducted by EMS1 in September showed that 41% of respondents said they would not be vaccinated for COVID-19 when the shot became available, with 24% saying they would be vaccinated, 12% saying they would only be vaccinated if required by their employer and 19% being unsure.
Watch Zavadsky’s PSA below: