As the U.S. began its rollout of the coronavirus vaccine Monday, health officials distributed some of the region’s first vaccines to five hospital workers at a “kickoff” event in the District.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams held a 2:30 p.m. press conference at George Washington University Hospital before the staffers were given their first doses of the vaccine. The officials made remarks and were joined by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser during the livestreamed event.

“This is the kickoff of a series of events you will see from public health officials that are designed to highlight confidence both in the vaccine and in the process America has to distribute the vaccine,” Azar told the Washington Post.

The first to receive the vaccine was Barbara Neiswander, an emergency medicine nurse at GW of more than 25 years. When asked if the injection hurt, Neiswander replied, “Not at all.”

Anesthesiologist Raymond Pla was vaccinated next and spoke about the reasons he, as a Black man, was receiving his dose in such a public way.

“There’s a certain amount of deep mistrust that has its roots in historical wrongs. I think that the ongoing disparities that exist and latent bias — and sometimes conscious bias — fuels and furthers that mistrust of vaccines and the medical community more broadly,” Pla said. He added that Black and Brown communities might see his example and “take that leap” to get the vaccine.

“This is not just the best way forward,” Pla said, “this is the only way forward.”

The staffers were selected based on an algorithm GW Hospital used to determine their age and health risks, as a way to demonstrate how the inoculations will be administered nationwide, the New York Times reported.

“This will start off vaccinations for health care workers at GW,” a spokesperson said in an email. “We anticipate administering vaccines all this week.”

A critical-care nurse in Queens, New York, became the first U.S. resident to receive the vaccine on Monday morning, following plans to administer the first doses to healthcare workers most at risk of being infected. Sandra Lindsay, a nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, was inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use on Friday and requires two doses, given weeks apart.

Azar said in an interview with NBC News that the federal government is shipping 2.9 million doses in its first batch to hospitals across the country this week.

Fewer than 7,000 initial doses will be delivered in the District, not even a tenth of the city’s healthcare workforce. News of D.C.’s allotment prompted a stern letter from Mayor Bowser to Operation Warp Speed officials requesting more vaccine doses.

Bowser said she plans to take the vaccine when it’s available. She also named the “First Five Responders” on Sunday, five firefighters who will receive the vaccine publicly later this week to bolster public trust in DC Health’s vaccination plan.

The first five recipients include acting D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly, the department’s medical director, and three lieutenants. Medical company Kaiser Permanente will receive the doses on Wednesday and administer the vaccine to the FEMS members, according to a press release.

Lieutenant Keishea Jackson said her primary reason for getting the vaccine was her father, whom she takes care of, and her loved ones who have contracted the virus. She was hesitant about the vaccine at first, but was swayed after her best friend, a nurse, became infected and got “severely sick.”

“For me, it’s trying to send a message to Black and Brown people that look like me,” Jackson said. “It is my race who is dying at a high rate.”

D.C. officials said last week that six sites would receive the first 6,825 doses: George Washington University Hospital, Howard University Hospital, Children’s National Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

“Washington, DC has been a leader in mask usage and testing. Now, we are ready to lead an equitable distribution of a safe and effective vaccine,” Bowser said in a newsletter over the weekend. “The next few weeks and months will be critical. A successful vaccination implementation will finally bring an end to this crisis. It will save lives. And when Washingtonians are vaccinated, we can finally come back together.”

This story has been updated with information from the event and statements from the vaccine recipients.