When the COVID-19 vaccine arrived, Dr. Michelle Lopez lined up for a shot.

Lopez, 33, of McAllen is an internal medicine physician at UT Health RGV. She'd seen the effects of the virus firsthand.

"Seeing our patients in the hospital and seeing how they're affected by this virus has been very emotional," Lopez said.

When the UTRGV School of Medicine started vaccinating health care workers on Tuesday, she didn't hesitate to sign up.

Lopez ended up being first in line for the long-awaited vaccine — and the first person in the Rio Grande Valley to be vaccinated.

"I didn't even know that I was going to be the first person to get the vaccine until after the fact," Lopez said. "They said 'Oh, by the way, you were the first person.'"

She'll receive the second shot in January.

"It'll take a few weeks for me to have some immunity, but I definitely feel safer knowing that me and my coworkers will be vaccinated against this virus," Lopez said.

UTRGV plans to vaccinate about 500 people a day, starting with health care workers. Staff will work 12-hour shifts to vaccinate people as quickly as possible.

The vaccine may cause mild side effects in some people, including pain and swelling on the arm where the shot is administered; fever, chills, tiredness and headaches, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lopez said she's hopeful everyone in the Valley will be vaccinated as soon as possible.

"I hope that our community will actually listen to science," Lopez said. "And not memes on Facebook."

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