The first shipment of a COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in the capital, The Ottawa Hospital announced Monday afternoon.

The shipment contains 3,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which will protect 1,500 people against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Each recipient must get two doses 21 days apart for full protection.

Earlier on Monday, a personal support worker at the Rekai Centre at Sherbourne Place in Toronto became the first person in the province to receive a dose.

Vaccinations in Ottawa are planned to start at The Ottawa Hospital on Tuesday, begnning with staff at long-term care homes and other high-risk environments.

"While our fight against COVID-19 isn't over, this is an important step in keeping our community safe," said a statement on Twitter from The Ottawa Hospital.

According to Health Canada, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is 95 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19 one week after the second dose.

Ontario expects to receive 2.4 million doses, enough to vaccinate 1.2 million people, during the first three months of 2021, with priority given to health-care workers, long-term care home residents, caregivers, adults in Indigenous communities, retirement home residents and people with chronic health issues who receive home care.

Vaccines will become more broadly available to the general public in April.