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WATCH: Retired CBS13 Anchor, Local TV Legend Stan Atkinson Gets COVID-19 Vaccine

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — He dodged a bullet in Cambodia, so a little vaccine shot couldn't scare local TV legend Stan Atkinson.

The former CBS13 anchor got the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.

At 88-years-old with underlying health conditions like heart and breathing issues, Atkinson is among the group of people getting vaccination priority right now.

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Stan Atkinson getting the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday. (Credit: UC Davis Health)

Atkinson said family is why he thinks it's important for people his age to be vaccinated, noting that he has 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

"I want to stick around as long as I can for them," Atkinson said after getting vaccinated.

UC Davis Health, where Atkinson was vaccinated on Friday, has already started notifying their patients about when they can start getting the shot.

Healthcare workers and people 75 years and older with chronic health conditions were the first group to receive vaccine priority.

This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom also announced that all Californians 65 and older can start getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Still, despite the push to vaccinate more people, some California counties have already started reporting shortages.

More from CBS Sacramento:

"I survived Afghanistan, El Salvador and Somalia. This will be a piece of cake," Atkinson said.

Atkinson retired from CBS13 in 1999. His Sacramento TV career stretched for nearly four decades.

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