Newfoundland and Labrador’s first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine quietly arrived in the province.

Premier Andrew Furey and Health Minister John Haggie were at St. John’s International Airport earlier this morning to watch the arrival.

Furey calls the arrival “historic” and a great day for the province.

Furey says the arrival represents hope for 2021. He says the plan is to start doing the vaccinations tomorrow.

Honoured to witness the historic moment of the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador this morning with Health Minister @Johnrockdoc. This is an exciting day for our province, as we implement our government’s COVID-19 vaccination program. pic.twitter.com/IGQ69r2nbs

— Andrew Furey (@FureyAndrew) December 15, 2020

Meanwhile, Furey says officials are planning a public event to document the first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine in this province.

But that’s only if that person is open to it.

Furey says there’s value in holding a public event around that, as long as regular hospital operations aren’t disrupted.

He says they don’t want “a circus per se,” but there is a desire to document the historic event while at the same time displaying the confidence that health care workers have in the vaccine.

The province’s first shipment includes enough to inoculate 975 people with the two required doses.