Gwinnett County frontline workers among first to receive COVID-19 vaccine

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - The first shipments of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Metro Atlanta Wednesday.

Georgia's Department of Public Health said over 16,000 doses arrived throughout Atlanta on Wednesday.

The first frontline workers in Gwinnett County received the first dose of the vaccine on Wednesday as well.

"If I had enough vaccine to vaccinate everyone, I would do it today," said Dr. Audrey Arona, the Health Director for Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments.

Dr. Arona was among one of the first people in Gwinnett County to get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.

"We were ready the day we heard it. It's like, 'Ok, when can we get it? When are we going to get it?'" described Arona.

The first shipment of the vaccine arrived in Gwinnett County Wednesday morning. The Health Department in Gwinnett County has close to 2,000 doses. Officials plan to share the first doses with hospitals in the area.

THE LATEST ON THE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE

"We know the hospitals are to receive their own allocation shipments, but we felt like our initial shipment, since we got it before everyone else, that we needed to share some of those doses with the hospitals," said Arona.

The planning for administering the first doses of the vaccine has been in the works for weeks. Health Department officials are starting with the most vulnerable including frontline workers, EMS providers, and seniors in long term health care facilities.

"We've been planning for weeks how we would distribute these initial doses," said Arona, "Plans are already in motion as we speak."

The Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale Health Department has two freezers cold enough to store the vaccine. Dr. Arona said the process to store and get the vaccine ready is very specific, so they're taking extra caution to make sure every vile is used effectively.

"Every time you open up the freezer door for the Pfizer vaccine and you close it, it has to stay closed for two hours," said Arona.

As the week goes on, more hospitals and healthcare providers will get the first doses of the vaccine. The message to the public from health officials remains the same.

"We still have a very long way to go before the vaccine is available to the general public," said Arona, "We have to stay on our guard and be vigilant through the things we know stop the spread of this virus."

WATCH: FOX 5 Atlanta live news coverage

Download the FOX 5 Atlanta app for breaking news and weather alerts.