It's been a challenging year for staff in Wollongong Hospital's COVID-19 assessment clinic, and on Wednesday they were among the first to get the Pfizer vaccine.
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Smiles, cheers and a few tears were shared by the frontline workers including registered nurses Jo Keough and Sharon Stewart.
"We've been through the ups and downs of the COVID pandemic," Ms Stewart said.
"I remember one day looking down at the line of visitors and staff, all with their masks on, thinking 'would we ever have thought this would be normal'.
"If this vaccine didn't come along, this could have been with us for life. So this week, knowing we were getting the vaccine, we felt so excited but we did shed a few tears thinking about the past year."
Ms Keough said she felt "relieved" after receiving the vaccine alongside her colleagues - and other frontline workers - at Liverpool Hospital's vaccination hub.
"We were really impressed with the way it was managed at the hub, which was separate from the main hospital," she said.
"We were really happy to be part of the initial rollout. We're optimistic this will be a big gamechanger for us, and the community."
Ms Keough said she "hardly felt a thing" when given the vaccination, and said all staff would be monitored closely afterwards for any side effects.
Staff from Wollongong Hospital's emergency department were also among the 19 workers vaccinated on Wednesday, while around 30 more staff from Wollongong and Shellharbour hospitals will travel to the Sydney hub on Thursday and Friday.
A Wollongong vaccine hub is expected to be established in the coming weeks.
The Pfizer vaccine consists of two doses, 21 days apart.
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