Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Dr. Ngozi Ezike with the Illinois Department of Public Health witnessed several Illinois healthcare workers become the first in the state to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday.
The vaccine was administered to five healthcare workers at the OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois.
Five Illinois healthcare workers waiting to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
"I just want to say how pleased I am about the very important day that you're all witnessing," Gov. Pritzker remarked after each individual received the vaccine. "This is a beginning for the state of Illinois. People getting vaccinated, particularly our healthcare workers, is a very exciting moment."
"These healthcare workers have been working all throughout this pandemic taking care of people on the front lines - these are our heroes," the governor continued. "These are our heroes and our heroes now have stepped forward to get their vaccine and to show the way for everybody."
Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois calls for an opening of the state in the event that there's a vaccine that's widely available. Gov. Pritzker said Tuesday's events were the beginning of the process of reopening the state.
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