Nebraska administers first coronavirus vaccines

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — CHI Health vaccinated the first five frontline health care workers in its 14-hospital system with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.

"History wise...I put this up as some of the most significant events in medication and vaccine history for us because it's a game changer," CHI Health President of Pharmacy Mike Tiesi said.

CHI Health and Bryan Health received their first vaccines early Monday morning and began vaccinating later in the day.

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"It's been very hard. To see a light at the end of the tunnel and have this vaccine, what we need in order to get over this pandemic, is amazing," Bergan Mercy ICU Supervisor Amanda Clanton said after she received her vaccine Monday.

Shipments have been sent out all across the country as the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine Friday.

"Today is probably one of the most exciting and historical days in my career, almost 40 years of it. To have this vaccine, to have the process in how the vaccine is going to help mitigate the COVID pandemic that we currently have out there, this is the hope we've been looking for, waiting for. I can't wait until this gets into the hands, or the arms, of the general public later this spring," Tiesi said.

Nebraska Medicine and Methodist Health System expect to recieve their first shipments Tuesday morning.

The hospital received its first shipment of the vaccine early Monday morning. Other shipments are arriving in Nebraska throughout the week.

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