For many across the metro area, Saturday was a glimpse of what’s to come as hundreds gathered at St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Aurora to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Manuel Romero, who came to the United States in 2019 from Mexico, was one of 400 people receiving their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. He was accompanied by his wife Melissa Hummel Romero who, as an educator, became fully vaccinated over a month ago.

To Romero, Saturday was the first step to seeing his family in over a year.

“We have a big responsibility to keep our coworkers, friends and family members safe, and by getting (the vaccine) I’m doing that while also getting one step closer to going to visit Mexico,” Romero said.

Romero last saw his family in March 2020 days before the country shut down as the coronavirus began spreading across the United States. Their family vacation was cut short as Manuel and Melissa were worried about getting stuck in Mexico.

Saturday’s pop-up vaccination clinic was the second one hosted by Taste of Ethiopia and St. Mary’s.

Organizer Nebiyu Asfaw said it’s vital to have these clinics in each community to allow people to have easy access to the vaccine, while also having it at a place people trust.

“The first time we had some difficulty getting people to sign up because there was some hesitancy about the vaccine, but by holding an event at the church has helped people feel safe and (have more) trust,” Asfaw said. 

Despite only having 400 available vaccines on Saturday, by noon, a waitlist was created that had over 110 people on it.

Jenean McGee of Longmont was one of the lucky individuals who was able to receive the shot, but if it weren’t for her friend who’s a member of the church, she’d still be on several waitlists like everyone else.

“I’ve been trying to get an appointment for weeks, but have been unsuccessful,” McGee said. 

“Luckily, my friend told me about this and if it weren’t for her, I’d be like the rest of the people waiting to see if a spot opens up.”

But despite the large crowd of people waiting and hoping to see if they would receive the vaccine on Saturday, the overall feeling around the site was upbeat, positive and ready to start the post-COVID era.

“It’s like a celebration,” said Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera. “People have been isolated for so long and worried for so long, and this is like the light at the end of the tunnel to begin to open up the community again and open up life again as we knew it.”

Primavera added that she and the state continue to urge Coloradans to follow all U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Colorado Department of Public Health Guidelines like wearing a mask and socially distancing even with over 1 million residents fully vaccinated.

“Until we get to herd immunity it’s really important that people keep doing things that will keep the community safe,” Primavera said.

And similar to others receiving their vaccine at other locations across Colorado and United States, Saturday alleviated some of the stress and worry felt by many over the last year. 

“Today’s just a huge relief for me,” said Hummel Romero. “Even though I’ve already been fully vaccinated, I was still taking the precautions to avoid any chances of (Manuel) getting sick. It’s just nice to be able to worry a little less about something I may not be able to control.”