RALEIGH, N.C. – An emergency department head in the Sandhills on Monday said it will be at least a couple of weeks before the next vaccination phase can begin.

Dr. Michael Zappa, Cape Fear Valley Health's chief of emergency services, said the emphasis right now is on health care workers who are in close contact with COVID-19 patients. People in long-term care facilities will be next. Zappa said his team will need two to four weeks to finish this phase. He said other hospitals elsewhere in the state likely face a similar timeline.

State health officials reported the first shipments of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine arrived at local health departments late Monday morning. Moderna's vaccine is the second to receive FDA approval. Like Pfizer's vaccine, Moderna's consists of a two-shot regimen made from mRNA, genetic material that triggers an immune response from the body. The vaccine does not contain any dead or inactivated viruses. Both vaccines have logged a 95% success rate in human trials.

The vaccine's arrival comes as a CDC panel has recommended the next phase of vaccinations include nonmedical essential workers and people over age 75.

During a vaccination event at Duke Hospital late Monday morning, N.C. Secretary of Health & Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen said state health officials will take that guidance into consideration. Right now, the next phase of vaccinations in North Carolina will include adults with multiple chronic conditions, people who live or work in congregate living facilities including prisons, and various front-line workers, such as first responders.

Neither Zappa nor Cohen said they were concerned by reports of a new virus strain in the United Kingdom. Cohen said there haven't yet been any empirical studies to determine whether the new strain is, in fact, more contagious. Zappa said several strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have emerged over the past year. So far, he said the virus' mutations have not been serious enough to dodge existing treatments or vaccines.