The first two people in the Yukon to receive the new Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 said it was a breeze.

Agnes Mills and Mary Merchant, who are residents of Whistle Bend Place, spoke on conference call interviews Monday afternoon after attending a vaccine clinic at the care facility.

Mills was the first to receive the vaccine. The 84-year-old Indigenous elder said she felt “very privileged” to receive the vaccine, while Merchant said she was “surprised.”

Merchant, who is 103 and made a career as a nurse, said she wasn’t concerned about receiving the shot “at all.

“I didn’t want to catch the bug going around,” she added. “I’ve had a lot of vaccinations in my life, and I’ve never had a bad reaction. I didn’t feel a thing.”

Mills said she also wasn’t concerned about the process.

“I have faith in the medical system,” she said. “I just have a bit of a sore arm.

“I want to enjoy my life more,” she added.

That includes seeing more of her friends and family. That’s the major change the pandemic has wrought in her life, Mills said.

The government’s distribution plan calls for residents in long-term care homes to have priority access to the vaccine, as well as front-line health care workers.

The Yukon received 7,200 doses on Dec. 29.

It hasn’t been specified whether that means 7,200 people will be inoculated to start with, or whether those doses will be reserved for 3,600 people. The Moderna vaccine requires two doses 28 to 35 days apart to be fully effective.

Mills is a Vuntut Gwitchin elder from Old Crow. She was inducted into the Order of Yukon last month for her lifelong work to advance the rights of Indigenous people (see Monday’s Star).

“When I was 13, I was in a residential school and there was a tuberculosis epidemic,” Mills said.

“I caught it and was in the hospital for three years. I never fully recovered and have been unwell all my life.

“I got the vaccine (Monday) because I am worried about what a COVID-19 infection would do to me,” Mills added.

“I am almost 85 years old and want to continue my life – to be here for my family, my children and my grandchildren. I care for mankind and would like to see us overcome this virus.”

Merchant was born in Scotland and survived the influenza pandemic of 1918 to 1920. She moved to the Yukon in 1995.

The third vaccine went to Jun Carpina, a domestic aide who works in the home.

Originally from the Philippines, Carpina has lived in the Yukon for 14 years. He was not made available for an interview.

“Today is a day filled with hope for our territory,” Health and Social Services Minister Pauline Frost said in a media release.

“The first Yukoners to receive the vaccine will be our most vulnerable to COVID-19 and those who care for them.

“In the coming weeks and months, all adult Yukoners will have the opportunity to receive the vaccine and help bring us one step closer to ending the pandemic,” the minister said.

“Everyone who receives the vaccine is choosing to protect themselves and everyone around them.”

Dr. Brendan Hanley, the medical officer of health for the Yukon, said “throughout the pandemic, we have asked Yukoners to make choices to protect themselves and others from COVID-19.

“The best thing we can do now is to choose to vaccinate when it is our turn. This vaccine will save lives and will protect our most vulnerable.

“Over time, it will allow us to return to a normal life, but now is not the time to let our guard down,” Hanley said.

“Stay vigilant, continue to practise the Safe 6 plus 1 (masks), and get ready to roll up your sleeve.”

Meanwhile, one new case of COVID-19 reported Monday in the Yukon.

Case 65 is a Whitehorse resident linked to a previous case. The person is self-isolating and recovering at home. Contact tracing is currently underway.

No public exposure notifications are required at this time, the government said Monday afternoon.

Anyone experiencing COVID-19 like symptoms should self-isolate and remain at home, take the online self-assessment and arrange to get tested.