BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — As the Food and Drug Administration decides whether or not to approve the Moderna vaccine, Health First in Brevard County is preparing to get the COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

What You Need To Know

  • Health First preparing for COVID-19 vaccines

  • Officials say they will be ready when the vaccines arrive

  • Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was approved for emergency use last week

  • FDA panel to decide on Moderna vaccine 

Wayne Struble, Disaster Emergency Preparedness Manager for Health First, said vaccines could arrive as early as Monday.

“Do our critical high risk workers first then low risk and then the ambulatory side and be able to help and CDC guidelines on who we should go with,” Struble said.

The Food and Drug Administration voted to recommend the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use a week ago and next in line is the Moderna vaccine.

“We are prepared to do 1,000 a day if we need to,” Struble said.

Because these vaccines are so new Struble says about 50% of the 2,500 that work with hospital patients are weary.

“We are not going to make that mandatory, it’s a personal decision for people,” he said.

Since both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, Health First already has a plan in place to get people scheduled.

“We are going to schedule them for their second shot immediately at the 21 or 28 day, depending if they got Pfizer or Moderna,” Struble said.

The goal is to reach herd immunity through vaccines and from those who recovered from the disease. To achieve this, at least 70 percent have to fall into this category.

Health First says it doesn’t know how many vaccines it will be getting but is prepared and has the freezers in place to store them at the proper temperature. ​