Update, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m.: Prince George’s County is preparing to receive the coronavirus vaccines when they become available, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said at a Thursday press conference. However, it’s unclear how many doses of the vaccine the county health department will receive and when.

Ronnie Gill, Prince George’s County’s director of emergency management, said the county is using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health department guidelines to prepare for the distribution of the vaccine.

“Logistically we are planning day-to-day storage and allocation of the vaccine,” Gill said.

The county has purchased six ultracold freezers, eight standard freezers for vaccination storage, and dry ice as a backup to the refrigerators. The county also expects to open up vaccination sites while maintaining its COVID-19 testing sites.

Vaccination sites will operate by appointment only. The first round of vaccines will be administered at the Wayne Curry Sports and Learning Complex in Landover. The health department will also open four other vaccination sites in Largo, Laurel, Cheverly and Clinton, and they will have three mobile vaccination units in various locations in the county.

Alsobrooks said she intends to get the vaccine when county health professionals say it is safe to do so.

Original story continues below.

Maryland’s first doses of a coronavirus vaccine could arrive as early as next week, state officials said Tuesday. An initial 50,700 doses will come from Pfizer and will be divided between hospital workers and long-term care centers, pending federal approval of the vaccine.

Maryland is also set to receive 104,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine — also in line to win federal approval — as early as the week of December 22.

The initial vaccine rollout is a glimmer of hope in the fight against a pandemic that has claimed more than 4,700 lives in Maryland and more than 285,000 across the country. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan stressed that distributing the vaccine would be the “most massive undertaking of this pandemic.”

The first 155,000 shots will only be the start of Maryland’s vaccination process, though Hogan said the state could see “perhaps up to 300,000 by year’s end.”

For the vaccine to be truly effective, he said, residents need to trust the vaccine and take it in large numbers. Hogan said he and Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford would take the vaccine in public once they are eligible, joining a growing list of public officials who have made that promise to project confidence in the vaccine.

Hogan said the state would “engage at a micro-community level,” to convince residents the vaccine is safe and effective.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, spaced several weeks apart. Hogan said Maryland’s first shots would begin the inoculation process for 155,000 people, and that the federal government is “holding back” additional supply for the second doses. Hogan said he was confident those second shots would arrive by the time they are needed: “We’ve had assurances from everybody at the federal level.”  

Officials said news of the vaccine does not mean an end to precautions like mask-wearing and social distancing just yet, as it will be some time before most of the general public can get the vaccine.

Coronavirus cases in Maryland have been spiking, as they have throughout the country.

“The cavalry is coming. A vaccine is on the way. But it is absolutely critical that we continue to fight this virus with everything we’ve got,” Hogan said.

Maryland’s very first doses will be divided hospital workers between and long-term care centers and residents. First responders are also in Maryland’s first priority group, followed by those at significant risk for severe COVID-19 illness. This includes people with chronic pulmonary conditions or heart disease, according to Dr. Jinlene Chan, the state’s deputy health secretary.

As a larger supply becomes available, Maryland will turn to vaccinating “critical infrastructure” workers in areas like education and transit.

Hogan also announced Tuesday he issued an order permitting any licensed healthcare provider, such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists, to administer the coronavirus vaccine — with proper training and supervision.

Maryland’s update on its vaccine rollout plans came hours after an FDA review confirmed the efficacy and safety of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, a good sign the agency will grant emergency use authorization later this week.

Virginia updated its vaccine supply estimate late last week: Officials now expect the state will receive 480,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine by the end of the month, pending regulatory approval. That’s enough for nearly all the state’s health care workers and long-term care residents to get their first shot. Virginia’s first shipment of roughly 72,000 Pfizer vaccine doses could arrive by mid-December, officials said.

A spokesperson for the Virginia health department also confirmed the state expects to receive the second doses at the appropriate time.

D.C., meanwhile, is urging the federal government to up its allotment of the vaccine. Mayor Muriel Bowser said last week the city is expecting fewer than 8,000 doses at first, enough for about 10% of healthcare workers. Bowser said the formula for distributing the vaccine, which is based on population, disadvantages D.C. because three-quarters of its healthcare workers live in Maryland or Virginia.

This story was updated with more information from Gov. Larry Hogan’s press conference.