PHOTOS: St. Mary Workers Get First COVID Vaccines

LANGHORNE, PA — After months spent treating patients with the deadly virus, healthcare workers at St. Mary Medical Center become some of the first in Bucks County to receive a COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday.

The hospital in Langhorne received 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Thursday and began vaccinating employees Thursday afternoon.

The first person to get the vaccine was Anita Hinchcliff, a respiratory therapist at the hospital. It was administered by pharmacist Jeffrey Gonzales.

"The vaccine is a vitally important tool in getting the pandemic under control and we are delighted to have begun offering colleagues and physicians vaccinations," St. Mary said in a written statement. "Even with hope on the horizon, we strongly urge everyone in our community to mask up, wear masks properly (covering nose and mouth), physically distance, wash hands, and avoid crowds and close conversations."

Also on Thursday, healthcare workers at Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol and Doylestown Hospital began receiving vaccinations as well.

More than 100,000 doses of the Pfizer-BionNtech vaccine were set to arrive in Pennsylvania this week as coronavirus cases continue to surge throughout the commonwealth. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires a second dose 21 days after the first injection.

Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker said he expects all of the county's hospitals to receive vaccine doses in later shipments.