Colorado's First Dose Of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Given To Front-Line Health Care Worker

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) -- The first person in Colorado was given the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday afternoon at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins.

(credit: CBS)

The first person to get the vaccine was administered to Kevin Londrigan, a respiratory therapist at Medical Center of the Rockies. Londrigan said 95% of patients he works with have COVID-19.

"Emotionally exhausting," he said. "We've had to improvise overcome a lot of obstacles."

(credit: CBS)

"I feel it's the light at the end of the tunnel," he said about the vaccine.

"Coworkers will feel safer that they've gotten the vaccine," Londrigan said. "We're right up front with these patients, we get the worst of the worst. And we're in their rooms for the 10 hours out of a 12 hour day."

(credit: CBS)
He said it would also help ease some of the concerns they had each day at the end of their shift.
"I feel safer about coming home to my family at night after having this vaccine," Londrigan said.

Gov. Jared Polis was there to watch the first dose of the vaccine be administered.

"I'm very excited about this," said Christy Ruffell, the nurse at UCHeath who administered the first vaccination. "This is a historical moment."

The first doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Colorado on Monday morning. Gov. Polis called it a "triumph of modern science" and said it represents the beginning of the end of the pandemic.

RELATED: 'Triumph Of Modern Science': First Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine Arrive In Colorado

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