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Saint Luke's Health System expects to vaccinate 1,000 front line workers by Friday

Vaccinations started on Wednesday
Saint Lukes Health System
Posted at 2:36 PM, Dec 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-17 18:17:16-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine makes it's way to to Kansas City, Missouri, more front line workers are being vaccinated.

Kristin Sollars was the first nurse at the Saint Luke's Health System to be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday. It's a sign of hope for her.

"I have been a nurse for 15 years. I have never seen the acuity of our patients like this level. That has gotten everyone a little more hyped up, a little more aware," Sollars said. "Yesterday was the first day it felt really hopeful and in that way a lot of us have tears in our eyes for kind of parts of the day."

Sollars has been on the front lines since the pandemic began taking care of patients every day.

"We are in the thick of it, across the city, every ICU and that's what all of us have been investing our time in," Sollars said.

Saint Luke's is giving the shot around the clock. Hospitals officials said they hope to vaccinate 1,000 people by the end of Friday.

Sollars said the only side effect she's felt so far is a sore arm.

"What I really hope for is that people have this growing hope and trust with us," Sollars said. "We want people to feel the same hope we were feeling yesterday, really excited, hopeful feeling.

"We kept saying this is the beginning, the is the beginning of how we get to the end of the tunnel," Sollars said.