Many people are asking how, and when, vaccines will be distributed across New Jersey, as they move closer toward getting approval.

According to state health officials, the first group of people that can get any of the vaccines being developed is both paid, and unpaid, health care workers, followed by the state's more vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens.

If Pfizer gets their emergency use authorization in time, the state expects to have its first 130,000 doses by the 3rd week of December, and another 130,000 within the following week. As for Moderna, the state could be looking at 100,000 doses by the end of the year.

“Vaccination is an important step in helping to prevent this illness and its potentially devastating consequences,” says Judith Persichilli, commissioner of the Department of Health. “The early news of the effectiveness of these vaccines means that there may be light at the end of the tunnel. It is vital that our health care personnel get vaccinated, not only for their own protection, but also to set an example for the rest of us."

One issue the state is facing is that right away there wouldn't be enough vaccines to cover all of the state's health care workers. To help solve this problem, a committee was put together to create a framework to determine priority. The framework must be approved by Gov. Phil Murphy and will be released before the first doses arrive.

As for when the vaccines would reach the state's general population, the governor says between April and May.