The end of the COVID-19 pandemic came closer to reality in Hartley this week.

Community Memorial Health Center received its first shipment of the Moderna vaccine on Monday. According to administrator Dr. Janette Simon, CMHC was the first nursing home in O'Brien County to receive doses of the vaccine.

One-third of the staff and all consenting residents received their first shots Monday afternoon. The second dose will be administered 28 days later.

"It is difficult to express to you how relieved we all are to have made it through this," said Simon, noting it was the "best day ever" in 2020.

A total of 46 staff members received a shot. The rest of CMHC employees will get inoculated in the coming weeks.

CMHC has reported only one COVID-19 infection among residents during the pandemic. Other nursing homes in the county weren't as lucky, as virus outbreaks were reported in Sheldon and Sanborn this year.

Vaccine shipments of Moderna's vaccine arrived in Clay County on Tuesday morning. Inoculations ensued post haste.

Dr. David Keith, a family medicine practitioner at Avera Medical Group Spencer and medical director for Clay County Public Health, received his vaccine Tuesday.

"I've been looking forward to this day for months," he said. "I've cared for countless patients who were ill with COVID-19 and have also witnessed patients die or be seriously disabled from this illness. Getting a significant majority of people immunized over the coming months will help us put an end to this health pandemic in our community and our country."

Frontline health care workers who regularly care or provide services for COVID-19 patients are No. 1 on the list to receive the vaccine. Long-term care facility residents and other medical staff have also been identified by the CDC as members of the "Phase 1-A" priority group and will have the opportunity to be vaccinated through the national partnership with local pharmacies. Those pharmacy partners are expected to receive their vaccine supplies the week of Dec. 28, according to Clay County Public Health.

Those who become eligible to receive the vaccine per their priority group will be advised as additional quantities arrive. People who fall into the next priority category – those age 75 and older and frontline essential workers – will be next to have the opportunity to be vaccinated; however, the time frame for that priority group has not yet been established.

Health officials estimate that it will take many months until all interested members of the general population can be vaccinated, likely into early summer. Clay County Public Health anticipates it will provide community immunization clinics to better accommodate the large numbers of people who will need to be vaccinated as the process advances to larger groups of people.