Registered Nurse at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital Kirsten Davis was the first person in the Swan City to receive the vaccine Wednesday morning, just after 8 a.m. from LPN Kim Ford (Photo: Chris Beauchamp Photography / Alberta Health Services)

By Shaun Penner

First Shots Given

First COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Grande Prairie

Dec 23, 2020 | 9:32 AM

The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer have been administered in Grande Prairie.

Alberta Health Services says Registered Nurse from the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital’s intensive care unit Kristen Davis was the first person in the Swan City to receive the vaccine Wednesday morning, just after 8 a.m.

Davis told health officials following her innoculation that one of the reasons receiving this vaccine is so important to her is that she doesn’t have to worry as much about her family, while her family does not have to worry so much about her.

“I have seen firsthand how unpredictable severe COVID can be on individuals,” said Davis. “The vaccine is a huge relief. I feel like I can breathe now.”

It was announced yesterday that 975 doses of the vaccine would be sent to Grande Prairie as another shipment of over 25,000 doses of the vaccine arrived in Alberta.

Intensive care unit workers, respiratory therapists and long-term care home workers will be among the first to receive the vaccine, as the province administers them in phases.

Huan Zhang, a respiratory therapist at the QEII Hospital, receives the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, December 23 (Photo: Chris Beauchamp Photography / Alberta Health Services)

It was also announced early Wednesday that Health Canada had approved a second vaccine from Moderna for use in Canada.

READ MORE: Health Canada authorizes Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine