The first COVID-19 vaccines were just coming onto the scene early this year as Todd Gharibian was finishing up pharmacy school at USC and deciding where he wanted to begin his career.
Upon seeing the impact his sister, Mania Gharibian of Altadena, was having on her community as the manager of a CVS Pharmacy in Montrose, he said he knew where he wanted to be.
Four months later, the 27-year-old Glendale resident is managing the pharmacy at 3033 Huntington Drive and taking pride in his role in fighting the pandemic.
“I saw the incredible impact she was making and the number of lives she was able to touch,” Todd Gharibian said.
“I look up to [her] and respect her work ethic,” he said. “I saw the incredible impact she was making at her Montrose store, playing such a huge role in helping with the pandemic.”
He added that his family also includes numerous medical professionals.
So Todd Gharibian said he joined CVS in January as a pharmacist. His first task was vaccinating residents of nursing homes throughout the region.
“My career launched in the most meaningful way — to see the residents’ smiles and appreciation was so rewarding,” he said.
The pharmacist estimated he has personally given thousands of COVID-19 vaccine injections since starting at CVS.
The Huntington Drive store recently switched to distributing the Pfizer formulation of the vaccine, after regulators approved it for use in people as young as 12 in mid-May, Todd Gharibian said. The pharmacy had previously been using the Johnson & Johnson formula.
He said he’s been encouraged by the community’s interest in getting vaccinated. “It’s incredible to see so many people around the area interested in better health,” he said.
In addition to following the example of his sister, the siblings, who are of Armenian descent and immigrated to the U.S. from Iran as with their family as children, said there was also a factor of competitiveness between them.
“Todd went to USC and I went to UCLA,” Mania Gharibian said.
“We’ve always pushed each other to be the best we can be,” Todd Gharibian said.
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One thought on “Inspired by Sister, Pasadena CVS Pharmacy Manager Takes on Pandemic”
? Wonderful good hearted human beings we’ve rarely seen. From Iran, a country of magnificent civilization. Now the US is trying to destroy. It will be the saddest historical event. Let’s pray.