SASKATOON -- Twenty people will receive the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Saskatoon on Tuesday, the province says.

They’ll be followed by 183 on Wednesday and up to 436 people each day after that, with a break over the holidays.

“As an ICU physician I’ve been at the frontline of this pandemic since the beginning,” critical care specialist Dr. Hassan Masri, second in line to receive the vaccine, said in a news release.

“I’ve seen the impact this disease has on patients, families, health care workers, and our communities. This vaccine gives us hope. It lets us know that the end to this fight may be in sight. We can’t stop following the guidelines – hand washing, wearing our masks, social distancing, closing our bubbles – but we can start thinking about life after COVID-19.”

St. Paul’s Hospital ICU Registered Nurse Kathy Pickerl was first to get the shot.

According to the province, more doses will arrive in Saskatoon next week, enabling a further 487 health care workers in the city to be immunized.

The second dose of the vaccine will be administered to recipients within three to four weeks.

Other recipients among the 1,950 health care workers being immunized will include staff from ICUs, emergency departments, COVID-19 units, testing and assessment centres.

As of Monday, 1,519 health care workers have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine through the pilot in Regina, the province says.

According to Health Minister Paul Merriman, the end of the month, nearly 4,000 health care workers will have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and the first shipment of the Moderna vaccine is expected before the end of the month.

Complex travel restrictions for the Pfizer vaccine are set to be revised in the coming days and more vaccines will become available, including Moderna, the province said. This will enable the delivery plan to include long-term care and personal care home residents, those over 70 years old and residents over 50 in northern and remote areas.

Phase 2 of the delivery plan is tentatively expected to start in April 2021 and will include the beginning of immunization of the general population.