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SPRINGFIELD – After Pfizer submitted its COVID-19 vaccine application to the United States Food and Drug Administration last week, public health officials in Illinois continued to prepare locations to store and distribute the vaccine which could be distributed to frontline hospital workers in a few weeks. .
Pfizer announced Friday that it plans to submit its COVID-19 vaccine application for emergency approval by the US Food and Drug Administration – a process that could take between two and four weeks, said Dr Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, in the Friday daily. press conference.
Ezike said on Friday she expects the state to receive around 400,000 doses of the vaccine in the first round of distribution.
“That’s the number we’re working with to identify how we’re going to allocate that for the first phase,” she said.
“And we already know that we heard directly from General (Gustave) Perna that as soon as FDA approval was granted the next day they would start shipping vaccines,” she added.
Perna is the COO of Operation Warp Speed, which is the Trump administration’s national program to develop, manufacture and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser to Operation Warp Speed, reiterated this timeline during an ABC interview on Sunday “This week with George Stephanopoulos”.
Slaoui said the vaccines would be shipped to states “within 24 hours of approval.”
“I hope people start getting vaccinated, I would say, within 48 hours of approval,” Slaoui said during the interview.
As part of the COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Planning Guide released in October, the first doses of vaccine released will be given to frontline hospital workers and first responders.
At Monday’s press conference, Governor JB Pritzker was asked how to ensure access to the vaccine among low-income or marginalized communities.
“I just want to say that one of my big concerns is making sure that we do it with an equity lens, and that includes not only people of color, but rural communities, places that are often left behind. for account and forgotten. , “he said.” I want them to be seriously considered for the short term possibility of getting the vaccine, but this vaccine is going to be rolled out over a number of months.
“We’re not really going to see, as I understand it, the vaccine getting to the general public until maybe March or April at the earliest.”
Ezike said hospital workers who are expected to receive the vaccine in the first few cycles include staff who are not medical professionals, such as cleaning and catering staff.
“A lot of those people in these jobs are our black and brown communities and so we’re going to make sure they’re included in this first phase 1a,” she said.
Essential workers outside of hospitals and those at risk, including those aged 65 and older, will be the next to receive the vaccine in the first phase of distribution when limited doses become available, according to the planning guide. vaccination.
Ezike said the initial doses of the vaccine will be distributed to hospitals in each of the state’s 11 regions.
State public health officials are also identifying freezer storage locations, as Pfizer’s vaccine must be stored at 94 degrees below zero.
“We also ordered 20 separate devices that can hold vaccine at this ultra-cold level. So these 20 freezers, if you will, will be placed in all 11 regions to make sure there is access for every part of the state to the vaccine, ”Ezike said.
Pharmaceutical company Moderna could seek emergency approval for its COVID-19 vaccine application from the FDA by the end of the month, Slaoui said.
Unlike the vaccine submitted for FDA review by Pfizer, Moderna’s vaccine can be shipped and stored long term at standard freezing temperatures of 4 degrees below zero for six months.
On Saturday, the FDA also issued emergency approval for a second treatment of anti-body therapy for mild to moderate COVID-19 infections in adult and pediatric patients.
At Monday’s press conference, Ezike said the government has already provided the state with around 8,500 doses and the treatment was supposed to be given early in the infection to help prevent hospitalization of those with high risk and elderly.
“We have teams currently working to discuss the equitable distribution of this very important resource. We’re going to make sure that in terms of communication, the public is aware of this resource and who the appropriate candidates are, ”she said.
Capitol News Illinois is a non-profit, non-partisan news service covering state government and distributed to over 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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