First lady Jill Biden, Dr. Fauci visit AdventHealth vaccination event in Tampa

At an AdventHealth vaccination event in Tampa, U.S. first lady Jill Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical advisor to the president, offered encouragement to those receiving and administering COVID-19 vaccines while also highlighting the safety and efficacy of the shots.

“Getting the vaccine is safe, it’s effective and it’s free,” said Biden. “This is your choice, so get the information that you need.”

Dr. Fauci, widely considered the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, stressed the importance of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination effort.

“We cannot do it without you,” he said. “Everyone who gets vaccinated and everyone who injects a vaccine into someone’s arm is a very, very important part of the solution to this very difficult time that our entire world is going through.”

Dr. Robin McGuinness, senior executive officer of patient outcomes for the AdventHealth West Florida Division, was also in attendance at the event.

“AdventHealth is proud to be leading the way in vaccination efforts throughout Florida. It has been a monumental opportunity to provide hope for our community and we couldn’t be more honored to share our success with first lady Dr. Jill Biden.”

Wilbur, therapy dog for AdventHealth, was also on-site to offer comfort to those who had just received their shot.

“He is our soul soother, heart healer and joy giver,” Dr. McGuinness said as she introduced Wilbur to the first lady and Dr. Fauci.

“Does he do Zoom calls? I might need him!” Dr. Fauci replied.

AdventHealth is the official Health and Wellness Partner of the Lightning. In addition to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, fans also had the opportunity to take photos with the team’s mascot, ThunderBug, and enter for a chance to win tickets to an upcoming Lightning game.

With more than a quarter-million vaccines administered, AdventHealth continues to partner with communities across the country to offer COVID-19 vaccines to people ages 12 and up.

For information about the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccines, visit the Coronavirus Vaccine Resource Hub.