Theresa Knapp, 86, was the first Alice Center resident to receive a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Knapp received the vaccine December 21 at the Alice Center, at a clinic administered by Walgreens. (Provided photo — Alice Hyde hospital)

MALONE — Shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday, 86-year-old Theresa Knapp became the first Alice Center resident to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, beginning a day of voluntary vaccinations for residents and employees at the long-term care facility.

The program is vaccinating consenting residents at clinics set up within the facility, while consenting Alice Center employees are being vaccinated at a separate clinic.

The program will host multiple vaccination clinics and is expected to conclude on Feb. 1, when the final group of Alice Center employees receive their second doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

As the vaccine’s first doses were administered by Walgreens pharmacists, participants expressed pride in receiving the treatment.

“I decided in the moment,” said Knapp in a press release from the hospital. “I’ve been thinking about it for two (to) three months. This morning, it just felt right.”

Knapp said the vaccine, which is administered through an injection into the muscle of the shoulder did not hurt, and she said she had not experienced any side effects as of Monday afternoon. She urged people to consent to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them.

“Yes, I do think they should (get a vaccine) — but everyone is going to make up their own minds,” Knapp said. “I think it’s the smart thing. We’ve got to stop this thing (the pandemic).”

Many Alice Center employees joined residents in getting their first doses of the vaccine on Monday, including Kristin Bond, RN, a nurse manager at The Alice Center who assisted with the employee-focused portion of the clinic on Monday. Bond, whose husband does not work in health care and who has two small children at home, said she got the vaccine to help protect her family.

“I felt like, for me in my profession and with a young family at home, it was the best decision,” she said. “Getting the vaccine helps me provide a safety net for our children and our household.”

The program will host additional vaccination clinics on Jan. 11 and Feb. 1.