FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 14, 2021 • HEALTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
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Queens ‘Polio Pioneer’ among fi rst to receive
COVID-19 vaccine at Whitestone nursing home
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Irene Mentel, a 73-year-old resident at
Th e Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at
Queens in Whitestone who was among
the fi rst to be vaccinated for polio in
1954, is now among the fi rst to receive a
COVID-19 vaccine.
Mentel received the Pfi zer-BioNTech
vaccine on Wednesday, Jan. 6, when the
nursing home, located at 157-15 19th Ave.,
received its fi rst shipment. Second doses
are expected to be delivered in 21 days.
At the age of 6, Mentel was one of
three students in her class to receive the
polio vaccine, as it was still controversial.
Now, Mentel is proud to be receiving the
COVID-19 vaccine and hopes to be an
inspiration to other nursing home residents
who may be nervous.
“We took a series of three shots and
I received a certifi cate that called me a
pioneer,” Mentel said in a video. “Just as
we wiped out polio, I hope we wipe out
COVID-19.”
Mentel was born in Queens, but was living
in Providence, Rhode Island, when she
received the polio vaccine. She
was deemed a “Polio Pioneer”
from the National Foundation
for Infantile Paralysis (now
known as March of Dimes).
Mentel says she has hope for a
better future and can’t wait to hug
her daughter, Sue, once again.
When asked to write down who
she got vaccinated for, she immediately
jotted down her grandson’s
name: Mathew. Both Sue and
Mathew live in Forest Hills.
During a video call, Sue was
excited to hear that her mother
received the vaccine.
“I’m so happy! Th at is the absolute
best news I’ve heard in many,
many months,” Sue said. “Th ank you to
everybody at Th e Grand. I am so excited.
I’m hoping all of the staff gets vaccinated,
and I hope everyone gets a moment to feel
a little empowered.”
Shelley Serber, creative director at Th e
Grand Healthcare System, said Jan. 6 was
an “absolutely monumental day” at the
nursing home.
“It’s been a long few months for us and
to receive the vaccine and to see joy in
staff members and residents’ faces, it was
incredible,” Serber said. “Th ere wasn’t a
dry eye in the room, and it’s a day I will
never forget.”
In December, residents and staff members
at nursing homes across New York
state began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine
during the fi rst phase of the vaccination
process.
According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 611
facilities in New York have enrolled in
the federal government’s Nursing Home
Vaccination Program, in which staff and
residents receive vaccinations through a
partnership with pharmacies like CVS and
Walgreens.
According to the latest data, 288 facilities
(or 47 percent) have completed the
fi rst dose for residents. Th rough state
facilitation, 234 more facilities will administer
the fi rst dose during the week of
Jan. 4.
Th is will ensure that 85 percent of facilities
have administered the fi rst dose to
residents by week’s end, with the remaining
15 percent to be completed over the
next two weeks.
Photo courtesy of The Grand Healthcare System
Irene Mentel at age 6.
Irene’s “Polio
Pioneer” certifi cate.
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