A collective sigh of relief can be heard at continuing care facilities across Cochrane, as the first round of vaccinations roll out for the town's most vulnerable population.

After 10 long and stressful months of isolation, the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19 is scheduled to arrive at Cochrane's Big Hill Lodge today (January 11, 2021).

Sixty-two residents who call the Lodge home will be rolling up their sleeve for their first dose of the vaccine today.

Residents at Points West Living are also scheduled to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine later this week, with over 100 residents at the facility scheduled to receive their first dose on Wednesday (January 13, 2021).

Strict health protocols continue to be implemented in Cochrane's continuing care facilities and those safety measures will remain in place until further notice.

Vaccinations are already underway for residents at Bethany Care in Cochrane.

The province's senior population has been impacted the most during the course of the pandemic thus far.

For now, the focus is on administering the vaccinations to continuing care residents, and staff members will start to be immunized at a later date.

To date, 44,994 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across Alberta.