Front-line health care workers, and nursing home residents and workers, will be first in line for the coronavirus vaccine — to be followed by EMS and other public-facing essential workers, and vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with underlying conditions, city health officials said Friday.

Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi elaborated on the city’s plan during a hearing of the City Council’s Health Committee. The first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine are expected to arrive the week of December 14, with initial deliveries made to hospitals that have the necessary ultra-cold storage capacity, he said.

Council members also heard from executives at Pfizer, who testified that during initial stages of trial, the vaccine proved effective across age, gender, racial and ethnic lines. But they also noted potential short-term side effects, in line with side effects seen in other vaccines.

"We have seen pain at the site of injection, some fatigue, some headache and some fever,” said Faith Walters, Pfizer’s field medical lead for vaccines.

Health care facilities may need to stagger schedules to account for the possibility that some workers may miss work after receiving a dose, health officials said.

"To the extent possible, we are asking our staff to get their vaccine on the last day that they will be working during a week, should they have any side effects and need to take some time off,” said Dr. Andrew Wallach, chief medical officer of NYC Test & Trace Corps.

High-risk health workers – those who interact with COVID-19 patients – are expected to be vaccinated within the first few weeks. Under a partnership with the federal Centers for Disease Control, major pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS will distribute the vaccine to nursing homes, a process that will be coordinated with the city and state, Chokshi said.

After that, sometime early next year, the city will prioritize essential workers who interact with the public and are unable to physically distance, followed by people who are at high risk either because of age or underlying conditions.

The city Health Department will also operate sites exclusively for vaccination of EMS workers.

"Once there are enough vaccine doses available for widespread distribution, doses will be made available for all New Yorkers, though this will likely not be until mid-2021,” Chokshi testified.

City officials also described planned outreach efforts to minority communities that are generally distrustful of medical interventions. A poll commissioned by the Health Department in October found white New Yorkers said they were more willing to receive the vaccine than Black New Yorkers. 

Altogether, 53% of New Yorkers said they’d be willing to receive the vaccine, versus 20% who said they weren't, and 27% who were unsure.

Chokshi confirmed that children under 18 will not receive the vaccine, since they were not included in initial trials. The presence of antibodies will also not be a consideration in determining eligibility.