COVID-19 vaccine may not be available to the general public in Palm Beach County until summer, official says

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla .– The COVID-19 vaccine may not be available to the general public in Palm Beach County until summer, officials said Friday.

U.S. Representative Lois Frankel hosted a virtual roundtable with more than a dozen local mayors and city directors to discuss the latest response to the fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Mary Blakene of Palm Beach County Emergency Management said that once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, it will be distributed in Palm Beach County using a step-by-step approach.

“These plans change every day,” Blakene said.

WATCH THE ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION:

WEB EXTRA: Roundtable by Representative Lois Frankel on COVID-19

In phase one, healthcare workers and long-term care facilities will receive the vaccine first, followed by first responders such as law enforcement and firefighters.

“They anticipate that this first cast will come, if you will. It’s coming pretty slowly,” Blakene said.

In phase two, some pharmacies in Palm Beach County will receive the vaccine. County officials are also studying the possibility of setting up mass distribution sites, similar to the large-scale COVID-19 testing sites that are currently located across the county.

“We would look at these types of models to potentially do vaccine delivery,” Blakene said.

The final phase of distribution would target underserved areas, possibly including mobile vaccinations.

“The state has told us to realistically anticipate distribution to the general public, with this level of availability, in late spring or early summer. So we’re talking about the period of April, May.” , said Blakene.

“Wow,” Rep. Frankel replied.

“We’re really trying to manage those expectations, to predict what that might look like,” said Blakene. “We don’t want everyone to think there will be a vaccine available next week.”

Blakene said Palm Beach County started planning vaccine distribution in September and was following guidelines from the state and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA will meet on December 10 to decide that a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which is more than 90% effective, should obtain emergency use clearance, which means it can be distributed anywhere the country.

A few days later, the FDA will meet on December 17 to vote on an emergency use authorization for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which is also over 90% effective.

Blakene said there was no word on whether there would be an age limit for who will receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the latest figures from the Florida Department of Health, there are 1,029,030 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 19,112 coronavirus-related deaths in Florida.