Dozens of North Carolina hospitals received shipments of a coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, hours before a second vaccine neared approval for mass distribution.

Moderna's vaccine, which an independent panel recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorize for emergency use, doesn't require the same specialized freezers as the Pfizer vaccine now being distributed does.

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If it is approved, which could happen within days, health officials said it will be more accessible to more people across North Carolina.

"The Pfizer vaccine does have to be kept frozen at temperatures lower than we would have typically at clinics and facilities," said Dr. Cindy Gay, an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UNC School of Medicine.

"That’s going to mean that it’s going to be more available to people in rural areas, where hospitals might not have the capabilities of keeping the Pfizer vaccine cold," said Ronda Decker, nurse manager of operations at Duke Raleigh Hospital. "It’s extremely exciting."

"I think, as many vaccines that we can have that are safe and effective, the better we are," said Gay, who oversaw a local clinical trial for Moderna's vaccine.

The arrival of Pfizer's vaccine and the expected arrival next week of shipments of Moderna's vaccine are emotional events for health care workers like Decker and Loc Culp, who leads a team in the intensive care unit at UNC Medical Center.

"I have a box of tissues in my office, so if they come in, then they can talk about things with me," said Culp, who noted the pandemic has taken an extreme emotional, mental and physical toll on the nurses and nursing assistants she oversees.

Culp herself reached for a tissue Thursday when talking about getting her first vaccination dose on Tuesday.

"It’s been pretty numb for the past 10 months," she said, wiping away tears.

Decker got the first of her two doses of vaccine on Thursday.

"I just want to give a huge shout-out to the researchers and companies that developed these vaccines," she said. "To me, they’re my heroes because they are helping us see an end to this pandemic."

Other differences between the two vaccines include shipping and allocation.

Pfizer's ships in batches of 5,000 doses, while Moderna's comes in just 1,000, meaning it's better suited for smaller facilities.

Also, state officials designate where the Pfizer shipments go, while half of each state's allocation of the Moderna vaccine is initially routed to long-term care facilities, where Walgreens and CVS are handling vaccinations of residents and staff under a federal contract.

Widespread availability of vaccines is still months away, and Decker and Culp said they know the pandemic fight is far from over.

"We are just pushing through and taking care of our patients right now," Culp said.

"More than anything, the vaccine represents hope to me that we can see an end someday in this pandemic," Decker said.