(WBNG) - As the state of New York vaccinated its first group of people with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, local health department officials said we can expect the first doses in the Southern Tier sometime this week.
In New York, health care workers and those who reside and work in nursing homes are first in line to get the vaccine.
The Southern Tier will receive around 4,500 doses in phase one of the distribution plan.
Broome County Health Department Director Rebecca Kaufman said with the extra cold storage necessary for the vaccine, they have been working with Binghamton University, businesses, and local hospitals to work out equipment so the state knows what our area s storage capacity is.
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
There s no timetable for when the initial COVID-19 vaccines could be administered in Broome County, but Tuesday marked the first rounds of its distribution in the Southern Tier: Arnot Health employees in Elmira became the region s first to be vaccinated.
The Southern Tier region stands to receive 4,500 of the first 170,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in New York state. Nursing home residents and staff, along with high-risk health care workers, are being prioritized for the initial round of vaccinations.
Broome County Health Department Director Rebecca Kaufman said the county has spent recent months planning for eventual vaccine distribution, particularly addressing the vaccine s cold storage needs and coordinating with United Health Services and Ascension Lourdes Hospital.