Submitted Photo Grace Garvey, 92, was the first resident on the Lutheran campus to receive the COVID-19 vaccine Monday administered by a pharmacist from CVS.

JAMESTOWN — Shortly after receiving her COVID-19 vaccine Monday morning, Grace Garvey shouted, “History has been made!”

The proclamation from the 92-year-old resident of the Lutheran skilled nursing facility in Jamestown was met with cheers as the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were administered by CVS Pharmacy.

Tom Holt, Lutheran president and chief executive officer, said just about all residents were set to get the first of two shots that make up the vaccine along with a third of the staff. In about three weeks, pharmacists will return to give second doses along with administering the first to the remaining two-thirds of the staff.

By the end of the first clinic Monday, 86 residents and 75 employees received a shot.

Holt expressed optimism that could come with a vaccination for a virus that has closed schools, shuttered businesses and — for many nursing facilities — limited visitations for families.

“It represents some hope of being able to get control over this virus that has upended so many lives,” Holt said.

“We know what the risks are, and this (vaccine) gives us the opportunity to return to normal at some point.”

Residents and staff were monitored after receiving their shots Monday.

A question Lutheran has been fielding regularly regarding the vaccination plan is with its visitation policy moving forward. Holt said Lutheran plans to follow state and federal benchmark guidelines, and noted that visitations likely won’t expand until vaccinations become available to the general public.

Holt lauded the work of Lutheran employees during the pandemic. “I think it’s a testament to the staff that we’ve been successful in limiting the number of positive cases in residents and staff,” he said.

The first COVID vaccines were also set to be administered to residents and staff at Heritage facilities in Greenhurst, Gerry and Jamestown. “We are reaching out to every family to gain permission to roll this out at our skilled nursing facilities,” Lisa Haglund, Heritage president and CEO, said last week. “They are the most vulnerable, and a good percentage of them are signing up to keep their loved ones safe.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a televised press briefing on Monday, announced that 64,500 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will have been distributed to facilities in Western New York by the end of this week. In total, over 140,000 doses have been distributed in the state.

The governor also noted that the state’s positivity rate jumped by 2% over the holiday weekend — something he attributes to a decrease in testing seen statewide set against an increase in positive tests within that pool.

Between Christmas Eve and Sunday, Chautauqua County confirmed 293 new cases of the coronavirus. According to New York Forward, the state’s coronavirus-centered website, 2,372 tests were performed in the county during that time.

According to the county’s COVID dashboard, which had not been updated since Dec. 24, there are now 399 active cases in the county. Two more COVID-19-related deaths were also reported in the four-day period and hospitalizations increased by four to 35.

The two deaths appear to be individuals in their 70s.

The county reported 75 cases in the Jamestown zip code, 39 in the Dunkirk zip code, 35 in the Frewsburg zip code, 19 in Fredonia, 18 in Lakewood, 11 in Forestville and 14 in Ripley. Other municipalities were reported as having a handful of new cases.

Jamestown now has 113 active cases, while Dunkirk has 50 and Frewsburg has 49.

Quarantined individuals increased by 107 since the county’s last report to 1,529.

In Cattaraugus County, 45 new cases were reported on Monday evening. There are 480 active cases, 1,814 have recovered, 37 are hospitalized and 45 have died. There are 873 quarantined contacts and 104 quarantined travelers.