Eighty-four-year-old Ohio State alumna Nancy Heber smiled from ear to ear after receiving her COVID-19 vaccine at the Ohio State Schottenstein Center Tuesday.

“With the mask, you can’t see that I’m smiling from ear to ear because I’m so happy to be here to get this opportunity to get a shot today,” she said.

She was one of the first people to receive the recently approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Schottenstein Center. 

Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief clinical officer at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State, said all three vaccines are effective in preventing hospitalization and death from the virus — however the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are more effective in preventing people from getting any variant of the virus. 

“We strongly believe all three are effective and all three are safe and we would recommend that anyone who’s offered the opportunity to get a vaccine to get that, regardless of what vaccine you are offered,” Thomas said.

Heber said she is thrilled and ready to see her family again.

“You know what’s going to be great? Hugs. Hugs,” Heber said. “We haven’t hugged, we haven’t given each other a fun squeeze.”

For more information about eligibility and availability, visit the Wexner Medical Center’s website.