EDMONTON -- As Canada approaches the grim milestone of 500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, one of the first Canadians to be vaccinated says she views the vaccine as an invitation to step up and make a difference in the fight to end the pandemic.

Colette Cameron, a registered nurse and executive director of a Toronto-area long-term care home, admits that although there was some initial hesitation amongst her staff about the side effects of the vaccine, she feels 鈥減erfectly fine鈥 after receiving the first dose earlier this week.

鈥淚鈥檓 feeling perfectly fine, there were no adverse reactions at all,鈥 Cameron told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning Friday.

鈥淩eally it was an invitation to step up and make a difference and I鈥檓 so thrilled to be able to do that.鈥

Cameron and several colleagues were among the first in Canada to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires two doses several weeks apart. Cameron is scheduled to receive her second dose on Jan. 4.

Health-care workers, long-term care residents and their caregivers will be among the first to receive the vaccine.

鈥淟ast Friday, when we were asked to participate, I went around and talked to my staff and many of them were quite hesitant. They wanted to wait and see how other people reacted,鈥 Cameron explained.

鈥淎fter the first day, they were lining up. They all wanted to get the vaccine because they had seen there were no real side effects and they鈥檙e invested in making sure their residents are protected.鈥

But Cameron鈥檚 colleagues aren鈥檛 the first to voice concerns or hesitations about the vaccine. Months ago it seemed unlikely that a vaccine for COVID-19 would reach final trial stages by December, let alone the arms of Canadians, leaving some hesitant about the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine.

Cameron says she is putting her trust in Health Canada鈥檚 approval process in an effort to do the right thing for her residents and play a role in curbing the pandemic.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of fear mongering going on and usually it鈥檚 from people who aren鈥檛 experts in the field. I鈥檓 putting my trust in Health Canada. They don鈥檛 approve vaccines without a lot of scientific data and evidence to back it,鈥 she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just a small thing we can do help end this pandemic and I don鈥檛 see anything else on the horizon to solve the COVID virus problem. I think the more people that do this, the sooner we鈥檒l be out of the pandemic.鈥濃