Patients at the Department of Veterans Affairs' spinal cord injury centers will be first to receive Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine from the federal agency, Stars and Stripes reports.
VA finalized its plan Dec. 15 after it received 73,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which this week will be distributed to 37 facilities in areas with high veteran populations, such as Dallas, Cleveland and Washington.
About 17,500 veterans live in the department's community living centers and spinal cord injury centers. Residents and staff at these facilities will be first to receive the vaccine.
The agency plans to distribute vaccines to more than 10 million enrolled patients and 418,000 employees.
The agency will then vaccinate employees who treat COVID-19 patients, which includes emergency department staff and healthcare workers in coronavirus ICUs.
VA vaccinated its first patient Dec. 14, a 96-year-old World War II veteran in Massachusetts.