Dr. Audrey Roberson misses her family.

The nurse manager of VCU Health’s Medical Respiratory Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Roberson was one of the first health workers at VCU Medical Center in Downtown to care for COVID-19 patients and has been on the front lines of the efforts to address the pandemic’s spread in Virginia.

The work in the months since has left Dr. Roberson — out of necessity — distanced from her mother, an eight-year survivor of breast cancer, and other relatives for months, while having to face the stresses of a worsening health crisis.

When the opportunity arose to be one of the first in Virginia to get a shot of the new COVID-19 vaccine, the choice was obvious for Dr. Roberson.

On Wednesday, Dr. Roberson became the first VCU Health professional to receive a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. She got it while participating in an online news conference showing the first vaccinations for front line workers at VCU Medical Center.

The program is part of a state and national push to vaccinate as many people as possible before the winter season fully sets in.

“I’m here for my family,” said Dr. Roberson, who was joined by Gov. Ralph S. Northam, a physician who has had the coronavirus, VCU officials and other health care workers.

“I’m also here for my work family and to let them know that we can do this, and that help has arrived, and 2021 is on the horizon and we’re going to have a better year,” Dr. Roberson said.

After being inoculated by nurse Veronica Nolden, Dr. Roberson cheered, along with Gov. Northam and others.

“Relief is finally here,” Dr. Roberson said.

She, like others who have received the vaccine, will get a second dose in three weeks.

VCU Health received its first shipment of 3,900 doses of the vaccine on Tuesday, after the federal Food and Drug Administration gave Pfizer a thumbs-up to begin distribution late last Friday.

State health officials indicated the first shipment to Virginia included 72,150 doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The Bon Secours hospital system in Richmond and Sentara Healthcare in Norfolk were among the health systems to receive the vaccine on Monday.

The small vials of vaccine must be stored in sub-freezing temperatures and then thawed before injection. The Pfizer vaccine also requires dilution before administration.

Dr. David A. Lanning said VCU Health also expects to receive more than 3,000 doses of the separate Moderna vaccine that also has received emergency FDA approval, along with additional doses from Pfizer. This potentially will enable VCU Health to vaccinate the majority of health care personnel and other high priority workers by the end of December, he said.

“It is an exciting day ... after 10 months of what I described as a long, dark time,” Gov. Northam said Wednesday. “Finally, now we have a vaccination that has been delivered as promised to Virginia hospitals. And starting (Tuesday) and (Wednesday), we are starting to vaccinate.”

Front line health care professionals are among the first tier of Virginians set to receive the vaccine, as detailed by the state’s vaccine priority plan. Later phases will focus on essential workers, nursing home residents and staff and medically vulnerable adults in high-risk populations.

The program is expected to expand to the general public by April, according to officials from Walgreens, whose drugstores will be a main outlet for the vaccines.

Given the months the process will take, health officials and others have continued to stress the need to follow safety guidelines when it comes to the virus, including wearing masks, regularly washing hands and staying socially distanced.

The COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Virginia the same day new restrictions and guidelines went into effect statewide in an attempt to stem the surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Announced by Gov. Northam last week, those changes include a stricter mask mandate, a limit on gatherings to 10 people and a stay-at-home order from midnight to 5 a.m.

It is unclear how much impact the new restrictions will have, particularly as exceptions have been allowed to crowd limits for restaurants, religious institutions and other select gatherings. Close contact from gatherings in such places repeatedly have been linked to outbreaks of the virus.

Also unclear is how public perception of the vaccine could impact efforts to fully vaccinate people against the coronavirus. A recent study led by a VCU professor of around 800 people showed that more than 53 percent of respondents said they were unwilling to take a vaccine approved under emergency use authorization.

There also was notable skepticism among the elderly and among African-Americans about taking the vaccine regardless of whether it was approved under emergency authorization or under regular FDA approval.

Dr. Roberson, who is African-American, sought to ameliorate some of the concerns on Wednesday.

Asked by the media about vaccine concerns expressed by some in minority communities, Dr. Roberson said that she understands the lack of trust given the past horrific experimentation on Black people.

However, she said she is confident that due diligence has been done on all levels with the vaccine. She also asked the public to trust those on the ground and in the state health administration to do their jobs as they “embrace this opportunity to really move forward in 2021.”

“I understand the apprehension, but we are here to support the communities,” Dr. Roberson said. “And we will not let them down.”

Gaylene Kanoyton, an official with the state NAACP, and others also have spoken in support of the vaccination.

During a Zoom conference on Tuesday, Gov. Northam and other state officials tried to address concerns about the speed of the vaccine’s development and possible side effects.

State officials said they are working through social media and local community and faith leaders to keep the public informed.

“Faith leaders are a trusted messenger,” said Dr. Janice Underwood, the state’s chief diversity officer. “It’s not only about the message, it’s the messenger.”