Tinicum Township is a key point of distribution for the COVID-19 vaccines in the Philadelphia region as UPS planes carrying the vaccine started arriving at Philadelphia International Airport yesterday, reports  Howard Monroe for philadelphia.cbslocal.com.

The airport is one of 30 in the nation that is a vaccine delivery point. The vaccines are being taken to the UPS Air Hub in Tinicum, where workers are unloading them for distribution.

 “The airport’s role is really to make sure the runways are clear and that the flights are able to land quickly and efficiently and get into the facility to process the vaccine,” said Florence Brown, spokesperson, Philadelphia International Airport.

The arriving cargo flights with the vaccine are not expected to interfere with airport operations, since passenger travel is down 60 percent, Brown said.

Inoculations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are expected to begin this week. New Jersey is expected to administer 76,000 initial doses to health care workers beginning today in Newark.

Vaccine deliveries will be happening throughout the winter. The airport will make sure planes are de-iced and runways cleared so deliveries can continue.

Find out more about the COVID-19 vaccine deliveries here in Philadelphia at Philadelphia.cbslocal.com.