WASHINGTON — Five first responders from DC Fire and EMS will be given the new Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as soon as this week by Kaiser Permanente doctors, according to DC officials.
Kaiser Permanente will get the vaccine on Wednesday and will distribute it to DC Fire and EMS at an unknown time this week, said Kaiser Permanente in a statement to WUSA9.
The five members of DC Fire and EMS will be some of the first people in Washington to get the vaccine that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last Thursday, according to LaToya Foster of DC Mayor Murial Bowser's office.
Bowser's office announced that the DC Fire and EMS first responders who will get the vaccine are Firefighter/EMT Julio Quinteros, Lieutenant Joseph Papariello, Lieutenant Joseph Papariello, Fire Chief John Donnelly and DC Fire and EMS Dr. Robert Holman.
All five members are reportedly DC residents.
“Today, we have hope. After a long and tragic nine months, help is finally on the way. The First Five are sending a strong message about the importance of this vaccine to protect them, their families and loved ones, their patients and coworkers, and our entire city,” said Mayor Bowser. “Our frontline health care workers and emergency responders have led our community through this pandemic with courage and compassion, and now we are proud to deliver this vaccine to them. Finally, we can work together to end this pandemic. While we must stay vigilant during this nationwide surge in cases, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter.”
Bowser's office arranged the vaccine distribution with Kaiser Permanente, which will get its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by Sunday.
Bowser's office and the Director the Department of Health, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, announced last week that six sites in DC would receive the District’s initial allotment of 6,825 vaccine doses.
These sites are Children’s National Hospital, George Washington University Hospital, Howard University Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar Washington Hospital Center. 
Howard University Hospital and George Washington University Hospital are expected to be the first hospitals in DC to receive the vaccine, according to Bowser's office.