The FDA is expected to publicly discuss Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine application so that it can be used in the United States. Hospitals around the country have been preparing for months to receive those doses.

The president and CEO of Atlantic Health System tells News 12 New Jersey that they are just waiting on a phone call to say that the vaccine is on its way. With the FDA expected to grant approval for Pfizer’s vaccine on Thursday, those doses can be in hospitals in just days.

“We’ve already set up reservation systems for our team members,” says Atlantic Health CEO Brian Gragnolati. “A majority of our employees want to roll up their sleeves and get this right away.

Atlantic Health Systems is made up of seven hospitals, including Overlook, Chilton and Morristown Medical. Refrigeration is in place at four hospitals to accommodate the vaccine, which has to be stored at -94 degrees Fahrenheit.

“It was a decision that was easy to make. This is all about providing care to communities and getting the pandemic under control,” Gragnolati says.

Atlantic Health has treated over 17,000 patients for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Gragnolati says that seeing people in the United Kingdom take the vaccine has given him a sense of relief.

The FDA is expected to approve the vaccine’s use, but the studies will continue and questions will still need to be answered by Pfizer and Moderna. The most important one being, how long does it protect the body?

However, to get this virus under control injections will be given before trial volunteers are even close to finishing their two-year commitment. For now these hospitals are ready and waiting, according to Gragnolati.

“We’re waiting for a phone call,” he says.

It is not clear how many doses each hospital will receive. This is a major decision to be answered by the New Jersey Department of Health. But it is clear that next week injections will be provided in New Jersey.