Wing’s first COVID-19 recipient receives second dose Published Jan. 28, 2021 By Senior Airman Suzie Plotnikov 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Major Heather Foster, 8th Medical Group public health emergency officer, received the second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine here, Jan. 26., after receiving Kunsan’s first vaccine in December. First responders were among the first to receive the vaccine, in line with the Department of Defense prioritization guidelines. “I’m doing great after getting the vaccine,” Foster said. “I’m excited to be done with both shots.” ‘As a young, healthy person,’ Foster explained, ‘I feel it’s my duty to do what I can to not only protect the pack, but those around the community as well.’ “It would be very easy for me to contract COVID-19 and not have any symptoms,” Foster said. “I could never know that I have it at all and easily spread it to someone who is more vulnerable. It is important to me to be able to protect other people.” Foster explained how the vaccine doses work together to boost immunity. Upon receiving the first dose, the body is introduced to the protein that can recognize the virus and give partial immunity. After the second dose, the immune system has already been primed and it gives the immune system a chance to react to the second vaccine. “You will get more side effects with the second dose, but that is a good thing because it means your immune system recognizes the virus and goes into overdrive to fight it,” Foster said. According to Foster, the 8th MDG is hard at work, vaccinating Kunsan Air Base personnel. “It feels great to protect the pack,” Foster said. “It feels great knowing that maybe in the future it may ease some restriction that we have in place. We’re all feeling the restrictions of a global pandemic right now, so hopefully a lot of the things we like to do, like going out to eat and traveling, will open up again as more of the world gets vaccinated against the virus.”