Now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the first doses are headed to injection sites across the country. Health care workers are among the first in line for vaccination including here in Georgia. GPB’s Ellen Eldridge reports.

COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer arrives in Coastal Georgia.

Shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer arrive in coastal Georgia on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020.

Credit: Georgia Department of Public Health

Two public health facilities with ultracold freezers required for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine received the first shipments of 5,850 doses Monday, the state health department said.

Health care workers are among the first in line for vaccination including here in Georgia.

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No vaccine in history has ever been developed so fast, and experts with Emory’s hospital systems are excited to distribute a vaccine from Pfizer they are calling “safe and effective.”  

"We placed orders for enough vaccine to take care of our entire community here at Emory Health Care," Emory's Vice President of Pharmacy Services Dr. Christy Norman said.

She said they are ready to start vaccinating employees within 24 hours of receiving the shipment.  

“We're ready," Norman said. "Whether they show up today or tomorrow, we'll be ready to begin vaccinating our teams.” 

At this time, only residents in long-term care facilities and health care workers are able to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to give Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorization later this week. Assuming the vaccine is authorized for use by the FDA, shipments of the Moderna vaccine should begin arriving in Georgia next week.

Tags: Georgia  Savannah  Macon  Atlanta  COVID-19 vaccine  coronavirus