The first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was administered in New York State in December 2020. (Credit: Scott Heins/Office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo) Hope for a healthier, safer future arrived in a single box aboard a UPS truck that backed up to the loading ramp at Peconic Bay Medical Center about 9:40 Tuesday morning. Inside that box were thumb-sized vials of the COVID-19 vaccine. They were rushed inside, refrigerated and, shortly after 1 p.m., one vial was brought into a first-floor room where PBMC hospital staffs were poised to witness a historic moment. And everyone knew it. They broke out in applause. It was applause from a group of medical professionals who, since last March, have been dealing with the ravages of the coronavirus.