Health care workers at Montefiore Nyack Hospital in West Nyack began receiving their first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine Tuesday.

There was a buzz at the hospital Tuesday that doctors say has been missing for most of 2020. Over 900 staff at the hospital will be vaccinated in the coming week.

Montefiore Nyack CEO Dr. Mark Geller says staff who have face-to-face contact with COVID-19 patients, from the doctors and nurses to the people bringing them meals, are in this round for the vaccine.

“They're going to be even more protected having been vaccinated than even PPE could help them be,” says Geller.

People News 12 talked to say it was easy and felt like any other shot. 

Jennifer Shannon, an ICU nurse manager, says the time is now. “This is doing our part to end the pandemic,” says Shannon. “What we see every day. What we've seen over the last nine months we need to stop that."

As a fellow front-line worker, she points out that her husband is also on the front line.

“My husband’s out there too, on the front line. I want to see my family, my children, the sacrifices they have made so I could be here every day...It's been a long road. But this is exciting,” says Shannon.

The president of the hospital tells News 12 that doctors and nurses and anyone treating the COVID-19 patients won't do anything different in terms of what they're wearing when they interact with the patients. They also consider the vaccine another necessary layer of protection.