Ohio members of law enforcement are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Thursday, Col. Richard S. Fambro, Superintendent of Ohio State Highway Patrol, got the Moderna vaccine.
"It didn't matter to me which one," Fambro said. "[There were] great nurses who partnered to make the process smooth and painless."
Fambro said when discussions first started about a COVID-19 vaccine, he was skeptical.
"I was one of the people who said, 'There is no way I am going to take a vaccine.' I had made up my mind," he said. "As time goes and you see the toll, you see the death, you see the long-haulers who are still dealing with the effects of COVID, and you see the many ways and facets of how it affects people around you ... it changed my lens."
Fambro said he wanted to get the vaccine for both personal and professional reasons. He is looking forward to one day being able to interact closely with people again.
"My mom is a breast cancer survivor, so I have not been able to hug her for ... it's been almost a year," he said.
Fambro said as a public figure, he recognizes others may see him getting the vaccine and make the decision to get it too.
"If I can help someone by being that example, that role model, that's who we are. That's the life of public service," he said.