Photo courtesy of Southwest Minnesota Health and Human Services Southwest Health and Human Services public health nurse Christina Blomme gave the thumbs-up as she received a COVID-19 shot from Chelsea Self. Health care workers from Avera Marshall, SWHHS, and area ambulance services all started getting COVID vaccinations on Wednesday.

MARSHALL — “It’s probably the only vaccination I’ve really been excited to get,” Dr. Timothy Hindbjorgen said.

He wasn’t alone in that feeling, either. With doses of COVID-19 vaccine available in Marshall, health care workers at both Avera Marshall and Southwest Health and Human Services, as well as area EMS workers, were all in line for their shots on Wednesday.

“It’s the first step toward normalcy, and it’s a huge first step,” said Hindbjorgen, emergency medicine physician at Avera Marshall.

“It’s been a long road since March,” said Bobbi Jo Vandendriessche, emergency department and urgent care manager at Avera Marshall. The vaccine brings back some hope in life, she said.

COVID-19 vaccinations began in the Marshall area this week, with residents and caregivers at long-term care facilities receiving doses of vaccine. Vaccination clinics continued in Marshall on Wednesday, with Avera Marshall administering vaccines to hospital and clinic staff, and Southwest Health and Human Services vaccinating public health workers and emergency medical responders.

At Avera Marshall, urgent care nurse Lisa Buseth was the first person to get her COVID vaccination on Wednesday morning.

“It was really exciting,” Buseth said. She said getting the shot was important in terms of helping protect against COVID-19, and it also gave her hope that life and business will get back to normal.

Christina Blomme, a public health nurse with SWHHS, said she was proud to be part of the first group of public health workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is a major breakthrough,” and a start toward some relief from the disease, Blomme said.

“It gives you another layer of protection,” said Dane Meyer, supervisor of North Memorial Ambulance in Marshall. Meyer was among the area medical responders who got their COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday. Meyer said he saw a lot of familiar faces at the vaccination clinic, including EMS workers from Morgan, Wabasso, Lynd and other area ambulance services.

Although the pandemic has changed a lot of things over the past year, health care and EMS workers have remained part of the front-line response to COVID-19. It’s been a tough time for both health care workers and patients, they said.

“Being on the front lines, you see a lot of people struggle” with COVID, Buseth said. She said urgent care sees around 20 to 30 people a day with COVID-19. Some patients end up coming back to urgent care a couple weeks later, still struggling with symptoms, she said.

With the amount of protective equipment health workers now need to wear, “It kind of takes away the human element” in giving care, Buseth said. She said nurses try to make up for it by showing extra compassion to patients.

Vandendriessche said for her, one of the hardest things has been answering questions for families who can’t be with a COVID-19 patient.

“It’s very scary, because things can change so quickly,” she said. Medical staff have needed to adapt to changing conditions, and learn about new equipment and medications quickly as well.

Blomme said SWHHS has kept providing essential services to families affected by COVID-19, by educating them about isolation and quarantine.

“We also make referrals to different organizations in our community along with delivering food, medications, and other essential services that may be needed,” she said. With COVID making it harder to meet with people in person, public health has also found other ways to offer its regular services, like reaching out over the phone or by Zoom, Blomme said.

Hindbjorgen and Meyer said they’ve seen the numbers of people in the area with COVID-19 rise over the course of the year. Meyer said the number of people with COVID-19 ambulance crews saw really started going up in the fall, around the same time as Minnesota was seeing a statewide spike in cases.

While EMS workers are vigilant about taking safety precautions when helping COVID-positive patients, Meyer said having the vaccine is also a relief because of the added protection it offers for responders and their families.

And while the getting the COVID-19 vaccine will be important for helping keep front-line responders safe, Meyer and other area health workers said it’s also a chance for them to show leadership for the public.

“We’re that example to the community,” he said.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is a start to slowing the spread, but we still have a long way to go,” Blomme said. Health care workers hope area residents will get vaccinated when more doses are available to the public. “We know the vaccine is new, but both (the Pfizer and Moderna) vaccines were tested in tens of thousands of adults from diverse backgrounds, including older adults and communities of color. Clinical trials show that vaccines are both safe and effective at preventing COVID-19.”

“Getting the COVID-19 vaccine will help create an immune response in your body against the virus,” Blomme said. Getting the vaccine will allow your body to develop antibodies to the coronavirus without the risk of getting severely ill, she said.

Hindbjorgen said there can be some side effects from the vaccine, but they tend to be similar to what you might experience from a flu shot. The most common reactions include redness at the injection site, muscle aches or a sore arm. That can actually be a positive sign, he said — “They’re signs that the immune system is doing its job.”

It’s not yet known how soon COVID-19 vaccine will be available to the general public. Until then, it’s important to keep taking health precautions against the virus, health care workers said. That means wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding large crowds.

“2021 will be a year of patience and hope,” Blomme said.