A Casper firefighter on Wednesday received the first shot of the first shipment to Natrona County of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I’m just relieved that the vaccine is finally here so we can get ourselves out of this,” Dane Andersen said.

He was among about a dozen Casper Fire Department personnel who met at the Casper-Natrona County Health Department to receive the shot, Andersen said.

The health department received its first shipment doses, stored in refrigerated cases, in the past day,  department community prevention manager Hailey Bloom said.

About 20 people received the first dose at the department’s office on Beech Street,

The department will keep a small number of the county's allocated doses, she said. Department employees will receive the vaccines later.

The rest were sent to the Wyoming Medical Center, which will administer them to front line responders, starting with those who may be in contact with people who are infected such as those who are tested, Bloom said.

Tuesday's shots were the first of two doses. The booster shot will be administered three weeks later, she said.

The county will receive shipments about every week, she said.

This story will be updated.

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