Los Angeles Jewish Home resident and Holocaust survivor Edith Frankie was one of the first to receive her first dose of the Moderna vaccine on Jan. 4. The first dose of vaccines is currently being administered to nursing residents and staff following the government mandates.
Frankie, 94, was the second of four children who grew up in Hungary-occupied Transylvania until Germany invaded in 1944. A survivor of Szilágysomlyó ghetto, Auschwitz concentration camp, a labor camp in Riga, Latvia and Stutthof concentration camp, she was 13 when she was liberated.
Speaking on the pandemic after receiving the vaccine, she posted on Facebook that “This shall pass.”
The Los Angeles Jewish Home received their first shipment of the Moderna vaccine from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Dec. 30. Others who received their first dose were Chief Medical Officer Dr. Noah Marco, who has been on the front lines caring for residents and overseeing COVID-19 medical care management for the Home, and Dale Surowitz, the Home’s president and CEO.
The Jewish Home is the largest single-source provider of comprehensive senior healthcare services in Los Angeles serving nearly 4,000 people per year. There are approximately 1,650 staff members working at the facility.
As of Jan. 5, 1 in 5 people in Los Angeles County have tested positive for the coronavirus. As of publication, The Los Angeles Times recorded that there are 829,549 confirmed cases in Los Angeles County, with 10,852 deaths.
Frankie pointed out that too many Los Angeles residents are not social distancing and disregarding safety restrictions. If she can stay inside and wait patiently for the vaccine, she hopes others can do the same.
“People don’t like restrictions,” she said. “Me? I’m used to it. Staying in our rooms is not so hard in comparison.”
