WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Friday, Michael Washington took his first step towards getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
“One step at a time,” Washington said. “It was very wonderful. In and out, just like that.”
He received his first Moderna dose at Legacy Lab Services in Williamsburg.
“The first part of it is over, [and] now, on forward,” he said. “I was skeptical about it for a long time, then my mom convinced me. She's diabetic, so she's got hers, and I'm a diabetic also.”
For the last month, Legacy Lab Services CEO Arleigh Hatcher has been calling the shots daily at her clinic.
“It feels like we're saving the world,” Hatcher said. “It's been really busy, and I anticipate it being even busier.”
News 3 first told you about the Hampton Roads mother and entrepreneur last month. Now, her third healthcare business in the Williamsburg area is helping provide testing and vaccines.
“My own grandfather, he made his first appointment - he had to wait three or four weeks to get his first shot, and he was really anxious about that because he was concerned, of course, about getting COVID-19,” she said. “I knew that we had the resources to be able to help people get vaccinated.”
Hatcher and her staff are preparing to stock up on Pfizer shots as well. Her clinic plans on vaccinating adults andkids as young as 12 with the Pfizer vaccines starting next week.
“It's important that our kids are vaccinated, and as adults, we're vaccinated as well,” she said.
With the updated guidelines from the CDC, Hatcher said she's expecting more appointments to be made at her Williamsburg clinic for people to come in to get their shot.
“I think that there's an incentive there,” Hatcher said. “There are so many people who are totally exhausted from wearing their masks every single place they go.”
Looking ahead, she plans to keep providing shots for those like Washington as long as possible.
“It feels like we're doing such important work here, and I'm happy that we can be a part of this part of history,” she said.
Meanwhile, Washington said he’d recommend the vaccine to anybody.
“Get it done so we can all get back to normal,” Washington said.
To learn more about scheduling an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine or testing at Legacy Lab Services, click here.