Ascension St. Vincent Receives, Administers First COVID-19 Vaccines

The hospital is the second in Evansville to get doses of the Pfizer vaccine, receiving 975 Thursday, before vaccinating its first six front line healthcare workers.

Moment.

It will mark the third day in a row --- health care heroes take the first steps in the fight against covid-19.

44news reporter valerie lyons was at ascension saint vincent earlier - when hospital staff got the first doses of pfizer's vaccine.

She joins us with the details.

The light at the end of the tunnel now -- a little bit brighter -- "it's exciting...it's a relief...lucky-- fortunate-- hopeful."

As more covid-19 vaccines make their way to a second evansville hospital -- ascension st.

Vincent receiving 975 doses of the pfizer vaccine thursday --- and just a few hours later -- the hospital's first 6 front line health care workers were vaccinated -- "its been scary for everybody and ive seen some of my colleagues get infected and i'm hoping this protect us all and protect our communities and out families."

This first round set the stage for the hospital's vaccination process beginning friday morning -- starting at the check in table registered health care workers will go to vaccination stations move to a waiting area stay there for about 15 minutes in case any immediate side effects kicked in.

Its roughly a 20 minute process that could bring us one step closer to beating a nearly year long pandemic "i didn't even notice the shot going in, it was easy, if we all do this hopefully we'll have a brighter future come this spring."

For these doctors and nurses -- battling the virus from the front lines -- the vaccine is a beacon of hope after a devastating year -- "a lot of sick patients in the er, a lot of sick patients who couldn't see their family members when they would come and they were isolated from them so if we can get this now we can hopefully link families back with their loved ones."

And with hospitals now realizing each vial can produce 6 instead of 5 previously expected doses -- that means ascension st.

Vincent could be able to vaccinate more than 100 additional health care workers.

In evansville --