This story has been updated since it first appeared in print.
As of early November, the Virginia Department of Health reported that more than 11 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across the commonwealth in an unprecedented effort that began right before Christmas last year.
This spring, photographer Kate Thompson, whose sister is a COVID ICU nurse in North Carolina, began photographing and collecting stories from some of the people working on the front lines of the pandemic in the Richmond and Henrico health districts.
“I visited several vaccine clinics to document the rollout and highlight the people in our community who have given so much,” she says.
“I feel it’s important for [the community] to know the people and stories behind our neighbors who have done so much for this public health effort right here in Richmond.”
Joanna Cirillo
Public health nurse supervisor for Richmond City Health District
Since the first days of the pandemic, Joanna Cirillo has been involved in the fight against COVID-19. She’s been there from its darkest hours, when she recalls that “one single [long-term care] facility had over 50 deaths alone in the early days,” to the heights of hope once vaccines began to be administered.
“[Dec. 23,] when we started to vaccinate first responders, [there] was a feeling I don’t think I could describe in a single word,” she says. “Have there been other moments of such collective hope in our lifetime? It was joy, impatience, relief. It felt like letting go of a breath you didn’t realize you were holding in for so long. However, then we had a new and equally exhausting task of what felt like vaccinating the world.”
Today, as she battles vaccine skepticism, prepares for boosters and awaits approval of vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds [announced after press time], Cirillo says, “I am now focused on how our team can survive this pandemic for the long haul and decrease burnout.”
Cotina Brake
Outreach coordinator supervisor for the Virginia Department of Health, Richmond and Henrico districts
When asked how it feels to be part of a historic public health effort, Cotina Brake says to check back with her in a few years. “We’re living it out in real time,” she says. “I’ll be completely honest: Sometimes it’s sad, sometimes it’s stressful, sometimes it’s exciting. … Sometimes it’s a struggle when you’re faced with, ‘I don’t want [the vaccine].’ … As for the historic part, I personally don’t think we’re there yet. Five years from now, I can hopefully say, ‘I’m so glad it’s over.’ ”
The most challenging situations came in the early days of the pandemic, when Brake was working as a case investigator. Sometimes she would receive news the person she was calling to check on had died or was in the ICU. “Or someone would say, ‘I feel fine, I can’t afford not to go to work,’ … and you knew they were positive,” she says. “Working in public health, and just being human, you want to help everybody you come into contact with. … Knowing that you did the best you could, even though it didn’t feel like you changed anything — that was the most challenging.”
Janet Pryor
Virginia Medical Reserve Corps volunteer
In September 2020, Janet Pryor retired from a career as an operating-room nurse. She quickly found that she was bored, and a friend who was a volunteer with the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps encouraged her to join. Pryor did, and she has since done everything from booking vaccine appointments to monitoring those who have just been vaccinated. “But mainly I love giving the vaccine,” she says.
Being part of the vaccination effort has been rewarding and has allowed her to feel like she is helping people, which is what Pryor liked the most about being an RN. She loves talking with the people she is vaccinating and says men are usually the most fearful of the jab — “I distract them,” she says.
“Because of my age, I have seen a lot of different things,” Pryor says. “This is something I can participate actively in. I can say, ‘Yes, I gave COVID vaccines.’ It still fulfills that inner need to help people.”
Julia Cramer and Carolina Lugo
Sacred Heart Center’s outreach and community initiatives coordinator and its director of programs
Collaborating with the Virginia Department of Health, Sacred Heart Center has organized vaccination clinics for the Hispanic community. “Unfortunately, we saw early on in the pandemic that some of the messaging around public health protocols, such as masking and distancing, were not culturally informed, available in real Spanish — as opposed to Google Translate Spanish — and/or available in mediums that the Latino community used, such as the radio and person-to-person communication,” says Carolina Lugo. “We knew that Sacred Heart Center’s position as a trusted member of the community … could be put to good use in increasing vaccination rates in the Latino community.”
The events have resulted in nearly 500 vaccinations administered to a group that has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Julia Cramer says it has been rewarding, “knowing that we have made such a substantial impact on the health and well-being of not only the Latino community, but the entire Richmond region, and that we have brought awareness to the disparities in health access that persist in our society.”
Ralph Hodge
Senior pastor, Second Baptist Church of South Richmond
In March 2020, the members of Second Baptist Church of South Richmond were studying the story of Noah’s Ark. “The word we felt the Lord was sharing with us, because of the timing, was that we were supposed to be an ark of safety,” says the Rev. Ralph Hodge, recalling the first weeks of the pandemic. “We saw how we could be an ark — whether it’s helping out with rent or food or shots.”
The church offered its facility and parking lots, which were empty as they conducted virtual services, to the health department for COVID-19 testing. When vaccines became available, the church opened its doors for weekly clinics.
“We did targeted vaccinations,” Hodge explains. “We would call people and say, ‘Come get a vaccination.’ We did that with the intent to close the gap in the racial disparity with who was getting shots.”
Weekly drive-in testing and vaccinations continue to be held at Second Baptist. “The most rewarding part of this has been seeing people safe,” he says. “I don’t think there is any higher goal than saving a life.”
Hamna Saleem
Richmond outreach coordinator for ICNA Relief
Hamna Saleem helped with COVID-19 vaccination clinics organized by the Virginia Department of Health at the Islamic Center of Henrico during Ramadan, where she was met with questions and uncertainty about the vaccine.
Some were concerned that the vaccine contained pork products, which are prohibited by Islam. “We assured them that it was safe for medical purposes to take the vaccine if it is for the good of the community,” she says. (Gelatin from pork and cow products is often used as a stabilizer in vaccines; it is not included in COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.) “A lot of people were concerned: Are we allowed to take a vaccination during fasting? … It made it a special and unique case to push people to get vaccinated.”
She has assisted with clinics that have vaccinated more than 550 people in the Islamic community. “It has been an uplifting experience to know that I am in a space where people feel comfortable coming to me,” she says. “They see a familiar person coming in, and it gives them a sense of comfort.”
