AtlantiCare, Cooper Hospital Begin COVID-19 Vaccinations for Staff [VIDEO]

Front line workers across the nation are beginning to receive a vaccine for COVID-19, including 975 employees of Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

Cooper nurse manager Rosetta Oliver was the first among her co-workers to take the Pfizer COVID vaccine on Tuesday.

Nearly 1,000 staffers at Cooper were prioritized for the first round of vaccinations, 6abc.com reports, based on their potential exposure to the virus and those with pre-existing conditions.

The New Jersey Department of Health has already received 76,000 doses of the vaccine, and expects another 85,000 to become available by next week.

Enthusiastic to receive the coronavirus vaccine, Oliver tells 6abc.com, "I'm like, 'Oh, I can't believe it I'm the first!' Okay, I'll get the vaccination, I'm going to do it. Because working here in healthcare at Cooper University Hospital, we saw a lot during the first surge of COVID and nobody wants to go through that, nobody."

Oliver also hopes that receiving the vaccine gets her closer to being able to travel to visit family members.

The first vaccination at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City was also administered Tuesday, according to 6abc.com, to its Chief of Infectious Diseases, Mannish Trivedi, who says, "Having that confidence and feeling comfortable, it's similar to having the right gear and mask to take care of your patients."

Will you get the COVID-19 vaccine? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCES: 6abc.com

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