At the end of December, MIT received its first shipment of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. Almost immediately, MIT Medical began immunizing its clinicians, front-desk staff, medical housekeepers, and other staff members who interact with patients, such as the campus testing and tracing team.

Before the end of 2020, MIT Medical had provided a first dose of vaccine to every at-risk staff member who requested one. The first person to be vaccinated was Lead Medical Housekeeper Fatima Rosario, who has led the effort to keep MIT Medical’s facilities sanitized and safe for patients and staff.

The vaccines are being distributed according to prioritization established by state and federal public health authorities, MIT Medical Director Cecelia Stuopis wrote in a Jan. 6 letter to the MIT community. “We don’t know when [new] shipments of vaccine will arrive or how many doses each will contain. But, as proven last week, we do know that we can safely and efficiently vaccinate hundreds of people. Our MIT Medical team stands ready to immunize as many individuals as the state authorizes us to vaccinate,” she wrote.

Moderna itself has roots at MIT. Headquartered in Kendall Square, the company was founded by Institute Professor Robert Langer, Noubar Afeyan PhD ’87, and researchers from Harvard Medical School.

Video by Melanie Gonick/MIT