EDMONTON -- The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Alberta and health-care workers in Edmonton and Calgary will be the first to be vaccinated.
"It's the first thing that we really have to look forward to in a really long time," respiratory therapist Kayla Hill told CTV Morning Live Edmonton.
Hill is part of the first phase of the vaccine rollout, which also includes doctors and nurses.
"It's pretty overwhelming," Hill said. "The sense of relief and joy that comes with this news, it's been like a weight off our shoulders."
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the first doses will be given Tuesday afternoon.
The first 3,900 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in Alberta on Monday. Another 25,000 are expected next week.
The vaccine requires two separate doses to be taken within three weeks of each other.
Alberta reported 1,887 new cases of COVID-19 on Dec. 14, its highest single-day total yet.
Hill said the surge in cases has been challenging.
"We're all pulling together and working really hard as a team, and doing the best we can," she said. "We want to provide really good quality care to our patients so it's getting intimidating but we're doing our best."
The premier and the chief medical officer of health will provide another COVID-19 update on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Watch the press conference live on CTVNewsEdmonton.ca.
