The COVID-19 vaccines are offering hope for a light at the end of the tunnel but experts say another health crisis is just beginning.

Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch on December 20, 2020 in Olive Branch, Mississippi. (Photo by Paul Sancya - Pool/Getty Images)DETROIT – Frontline essential workers and people over 75 will be next to receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to a vote from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee Sunday. RELATED: CDC green-lights Moderna COVID vaccine, distribution beginsCurrently, Phase 1B includes some workers in essential and critical industries, including workers with unique skill sets such as non-hospital or non-public health laboratories and mortuary services. As the largest union for America’s essential workers in grocery, meatpacking, and food processing, UFCW applauds the CDC’s advisory committee for prioritizing these brave men and women for access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Protecting our country’s food workers is essential to keeping our communities safe and stopping future outbreaks in these high-exposure workplaces.

OLIVE BRANCH, MISSISSIPPI - DECEMBER 20: Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the McKesson distribution center on December 20, 2020 in Olive Branch, Mississippi. CDC has accepted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation for use of the second authorized #COVID19 vaccine. Current recommendations: https://t.co/cYJxH31I3F pic.twitter.com/qOQwyASpSG — CDC (@CDCgov) December 20, 2020The CDC accepted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’(ACIP) recommendation for use of the Moderna vaccine on Sunday, Dec. 20. President, American Medical AssociationThe Moderna vaccine began shipping out Sunday, just days after the Food and Drug Administration authorized it for emergency use. Both the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer shot require individuals receive two doses several weeks apart.

DETROIT – A second COVID-19 vaccine has won backing from the U.S. expert panel, paving way for final FDA decision on emergency use. The approval comes about a week after Pfizer’s vaccine was endorsed. Moderna benefited by going second and was able to address a lot of the issues up front and have the additional data the experts wanted already prepared. The allergy concern is not going away after there’s been two reactions to Pfizer’s vaccine in Alaska and two in the United Kingdom. This is all happening as the Pfizer Vaccine is being given to health care workers across the country, including Local 4′s Dr. Frank McGeorge.

DETROIT – As the first vaccinations are being given to frontline health care workers, many are anxious to know when it will be their turn to receive the vaccine. READ: Answering questions about efficacy of COVID-19 vaccineNot surprisingly, many wanted to get this vaccine Tuesday. How will I know when it’s my turn to get the vaccine? Residency is not an issue, just make sure seniors are eligible for the vaccine in the state you’ll be in when the second dose is due and that it will be available. It was not tested along with any other vaccines and the COVID vaccine itself can trigger a day or two of side effects, so it’s best to delay your shingles vaccine a bit if it would conflict with your turn for the COVID vaccine.

FDA reviewers noted four cases of Bell’s palsy -- a temporary weakening of muscles in the face -- among those that received the vaccine. It is still unknown if this is related to the vaccine or not and -- as of Dec. 16, 2020 -- a prior history of Bell’s palsy is not a contraindication to the vaccine. READ: Answering questions about efficacy of COVID-19 vaccineThe FDA is monitoring closely for more potential cases of Bell’s palsy as more people get the vaccine. Although both vaccines are MRNA vaccines, there are differences in the genetic sequences used and the coating used to get the MRNA into our cells. READ: Answering questions about COVID-19 vaccine efforts in Michigan“Do all hospitalized patients with COVID-19 receive the same care as the president did when he was hospitalized?”With the exception of one medication, yes.

After granting Pfizer’s emergency use authorization request for its coronavirus vaccine, the FDA addressed some of the public’s major concerns regarding the vaccine during a news conference Saturday. We want to know: What concerns or reservations do you have about coronavirus vaccines? Following the Pfizer vaccine’s authorization on Dec. 11, Michigan officials have outlined how the vaccine will be distributed in the state in the coming months. Due to limited quantities of and high demand for a COVID-19 vaccine, states are planning to administer the vaccinations in multiple phases, prioritizing individuals who are at greater risk. Read more: Michigan officials: COVID vaccine to be distributed in 4 phases, prioritize frontline workersRelated news

A Michigan task force has been conducting research and implementing new protocols to help improve conditions for minority communities who have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic -- and they have seen some notable progress so far. Gretchen Whitmer established the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities to address issues leading to the disproportionate havoc the pandemic has wreaked on communities of color compared to white communities. Since the task force was created, more than 20 “Neighborhood Testing sites” have been established in previously-underserved communities throughout Michigan, the state reports. Moving forward, the group intends to close the “digital divide” by ensuring minority communities have better access to internet, telehealth services and virtual learning. “It’s clear that the work of this task force ... has made significant progress in protecting families, frontline workers, and small businesses in communities of color,” said Celeste Sanchez Lloyd, task force member and community program manager for Strong Beginnings at Spectrum Health.

Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-60 to establish strategies to reduce exposure to COVID-19 for both customers and employees. The order also provides temporary relief by suspending certain licensing requirements and regulations for food service industries. By establishing these guidelines, we can protect Michigan families and our frontline workers. In an effort to protect the health and safety of consumers, the order also outlines strategies food establishments and pharmacies must take to reduce possible exposure of COVID-19 to their customers. The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 37,203 as of Sunday, including 3,274 deaths.

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Farmington Hills EMS wants you to know they might look a little different right now when you see them in the community, and that’s to help protect everyone from the spread of COVID-19. Jim Etzin, EMS coordinator for the Farmington Hills Fire Department, said they have all prepared and trained to deal with infectious disease and have dealt with it in the past, but says this is unprecedented. “All the personal protective equipment that we're wearing can be very intimidating to the people that we encounter between the respirators and the face shields and the coveralls. The Farmington Hills EMS team is working with patients to determine the best options, which sometimes means not going to the hospital. Etzin and the department want to recognize the work of medical first responders saying the work they’re doing is extraordinary.