Vaccinations start on the nursing house the place 46 died within the pandemic’s first days.

A nurse at the Seattle suburban nursing home afflicted by the first U.S. group of coronavirus cases sat next to a pharmacist on Monday, pulled up her blue shirt sleeve, and received the first dose of the covid administered at the facility 19 vaccine.

It was the beginning of what residents, families and employees hope to be a turning point in a pandemic that has killed tens of thousands of people in long-term care facilities. Walgreens and CVS vaccination teams were out and about in facilities across the country on Monday. This was the start of a long, difficult campaign to vaccinate some of the most vulnerable people in the country.

At the facility near Seattle, Kirkland’s Life Care Center, which has been linked to 46 coronavirus deaths, residents’ relatives received a text message Monday morning notifying them of the start of vaccinations.

Colleen Mallory had been waiting for this moment. Her mother has severe dementia, and since Life Care closed last winter, her family has mostly visited her by standing in front of her window, waving and saying, “I love you.”

Ms. Mallory’s family gave Life Care permission to vaccinate their mother, and Ms. Mallory said she called and called to see if it actually happened. “I can’t reach anyone,” she said. “It would be nice to know.”

Alice Cortez, the first nurse to be vaccinated at the facility, said she felt “a new life, a fresh start, but a better life,” the Seattle Times reported. There were roses and cheers as she was injected with rolling cameras right outside the facility.

The scene was completely different last winter when the quiet, shady nursing home turned into a scene of grim vigil and daily updates on deaths and case numbers. Journalists gathered outside the locked facility as ambulances took residents to the hospital and families peeked through the windows to check on parents and grandparents.

Life Care staff did not immediately respond to requests about how many staff and residents were vaccinated on Monday or how long it would take to vaccinate them all.