The tri-state area and the rest of the nation could see the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine given out before the end of the year.
There are meetings over the next two weeks to set a plan in motion for vaccine distribution.
A Centers for Disease Control advisory committee is set to meet on Tuesday to discuss what groups of people would get the vaccine first.
As many as 20 million vaccinations could be available by the end of the year, most likely going to health care workers and people who are at high risk, like nursing home patients. Health officials claim all indications show the vaccine is safe.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to meet to discuss an emergency authorization use of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine on Dec. 10.
That vaccine is reportedly around 95% effective in trials, and authorization could come in a matter of weeks, or days, after the FDA's meeting.
Officials, however, are concerned that not enough people will be willing to get vaccinated, which would not slow down the infection rate as quickly as it could be.
"I find that one of the biggest issues is a lot of misinformation that's out there that sort of propagates in families and friends' circles, which makes it very difficult to know whether or not you can trust in something. So, I think it's really important, especially since this is new, to trust in the health officials and their guidance in terms of this," says Dr. Deena Gupta-Adimoolam, who is affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospitals.
In Jersey City, Mayor Steven Fulop has expressed some concerns about New Jersey's efforts in educating the public on the vaccine.
On Friday, Fulop released a series of tweets that the city and state are working together to start vaccinating residents in early 2021, but he feels the state could do more on educating the public on how the vaccine works and also any possible side effects.
It appears the vaccines will be distributed with an initial dose and then a booster shot weeks later. Also, health experts don't expect the vaccine to be available to most of the population until the first or second quarter of 2021.
Only Pfizer has asked the FDA to start giving out its vaccine.