The mood was festive for emergency room doctors, nurses and residents who lined up to get the first vaccines. Gemma John had some earlier doubts about the vaccine. But she got over them, and ended up being the first nurse at Brookdale to get vaccinated.

"I decided if it was passed by the FDA, and if I wanted to continue working, I needed to protect myself," she said.

Those who were inoculated were already scheduled for a day or two of work, so that if they experience any short-term side effects, the hospital wouldn't be down ER workers needed during the pandemic.