TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The first round of nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff from AdventHealth Tampa received the COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, providing them with protection and a sense of relief.

Stephen Quinones is an emergency room nurse. He has helped COVID-19 patients from the beginning of the pandemic while watching out for himself and being concerned for those around him.

“It’s hard being the only person in your family that’s the biggest risk,” Quinones told 8 On Your Side just moments after he received the first of two shots. “This makes me feel safer. It’s less likely I’ll get symptoms.”

Quinones said he has faith in the vaccine.

“Some of us are gonna have to take a leap and trust that scientists behind this have our best interest in mind. I believe they do. I believe this is a step toward normalcy that we need very, very much,” the ER nurse said.

Marcell Valentine, another ER nurse, shared the same sentiment.

“I have several family members who are high risk. So being able to in the future to see them more often, definitely brings satisfaction and just relief,” Valentine said.

Hospital leaders said they have the capacity to vaccinate up to 300 employees Wednesday, and hundreds more per day in the following weeks.

The Pfizer vaccine requires two shots. The second is generally administered around three weeks after the first.

“This is giving us hope for the future. Really given another layer of care that is going to stop the pandemic, as opposed to just treat the pandemic, treat people with COVID,” said Dr. Robin McGuinness, a senior executive officer at AdventHealth.

Leadership for the health care system has studied the vaccine and encourage people to get it.

“I feel very confident in the safety of this vaccine. We have done a lot of our own due-diligence around looking at the research, examining that, we have a scientific committee at our corporate level,” Dr. Doug Ross, the chief medical officer, said.

Around one-third of AdventHealth’s West Florida Division’s 13,000 staff members are invited to get the vaccine, the system said in a press release.