BATON ROUGE - Paramedics across Louisiana will be among those first in line to receive Pfizer's COVID vaccination.

Governor John Bel Edwards pushed for all frontline health care workers, including EMS personnel, to be included in Phase One of the state's inoculation process.

The fact that EMS facilities, much like hospitals, have the needed equipment to store Pfizer's vaccine also came into play when officials decided to include EMS workers in the initial group of vaccine recipients.

Pfizer's drug requires storage in an ultra-cold (-80 degree) freezer, the sort of equipment that EMS locations would be able to provide as they carry out systematic immunizations of personnel.

Pfizer was the first vaccine to be made available to Phase One recipients, but a second vaccine is soon expected to hit the market.

Health experts anticipate Moderna's vaccine to be released by Thursday, Dec. 17.