A doctor who was the first at Northwell Health's Plainview Hospital to get the COVID-19 vaccine says he did it in honor of those close to him who died this year.

Dr. Nicolas Hernandez was among hundreds of Long Island front-line workers to get the first dose of Pfizer's vaccine Tuesday.

After treating patients with the virus early on, Dr. Hernandez himself ended up getting sick and was out of work for nearly two weeks. He says while he was away, all he could think about was getting back to work and helping his colleagues.

"I think it's just a calling. We all kind of go into this profession to be able to help," says Hernandez. "And knowing that my teammates were in a position where they were being strained and they were picking up the slack, but I had left behind because of the fact that I was out ... I just needed to get back and help the team out."

Then, his grandfather and mother-in-law died from the virus.

"For us health care workers it's tough. You know emotionally we're all tired and it's hard to find that second wind," he says.

Dr. Hernandez says his hospital is seeing an increase in patients with the virus and he wants everyone to be safe and smart this holiday season. He hopes the vaccines will finally make a difference in this deadly battle.

"I'm hoping that everything will start to calm down," he says.ReplyForwardKK