LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vaccinations against COVID-19 have begun in California amid a huge surge in infections and hospitalizations.

Intensive care unit nurse Helen Cordova received a shot of the Pfizer vaccine Monday at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center.

Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted that Cordova was one of the first Californians to be vaccinated.

Helen is the first to get a #COVID19 vaccine in CA. Today equitable & safe administration of vaccines begins with health care workers and Californians in long-term care settings.

Until widely available, we all must stop the spread. Stay home. Wear a mask. Save lives. pic.twitter.com/esrYAwGX9i

— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) December 14, 2020

The first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine left Michigan early Sunday for 145 distribution centers nationwide. California's initial batch was scheduled to total 325,000 doses. The vaccine was sent to hospitals and other sites across the country that can store it at extremely low temperatures — about 94 degrees below zero.