Washington health officials provide details of how COVID vaccine will be distributed

On Monday, Governor Jay Inslee announced that the planning process for the distribution of a possible COVID-19 vaccine had begun. Further details were released by state health officials on Tuesday, revealing who will likely receive the vaccine first.

Washington begins to prepare for the arrival of the COVID vaccine in December

Tuesday’s information came in the form of a presentation by Dr. Kathy Lofy, head of health, to the State Senate Committee on Health and Long-Term Care. In it, Dr Lofy described the processes behind a pair of potentially viable vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

Pfizer’s vaccine, reputed to be 95% effective, would be given in two doses three weeks apart. Moderna boasted of an effective rate of 94%, given in two doses 28 days apart. Neither resulted in serious safety concerns during the trial phase, although minor side effects – including fatigue, headache, myalgia, and redness at the injection site – were seen in one little one. percentage of patients.

Lofy estimates that Pfizer will initially have around 62,400 doses of its vaccine for Washington, and up to 200,000 doses by December, followed by regular weekly shipments from January 2021.

As to who gets the vaccine first, the tentative plan for a CDC vaccine advisory committee is to divide Washingtonians – and the rest of the country – into three phases. The first phase, comprising more than 3 million people, would also be divided into three sub-categories:

• Phase 1A: High risk workers in health care settings and high risk first responders
• Phase 1B: All people over 65 and those with underlying conditions that put them at “significantly higher risk”
• Phase 1C: Critical workers with high exposure, including those working in Kindergarten to Grade 12 child care centers, critical infrastructure, law enforcement and agriculture.

Phase 2 would include critical workers at low risk of exposure, non-essential workers at high risk of exposure, people living in group hopes and collective facilities, and people with disabilities. The final phase would include young adults, children and low risk non-essential workers. The exact numbers on the number of people in Phases 2 and 3 have yet to be established, nor is there a solid timeline for how long it would take to get through each phase.

Virologist: We need to adjust expectations for COVID vaccine

Assuming Pfizer and / or Moderna get clearance from the FDA, the hope is to receive the first shipments in Washington by mid-December, according to an estimate provided by Vice President Mike Pence to Governor Inslee on Monday. .

To that end, the Washington Department of Health is asking hospitals and doctors to register as suppliers of the vaccine, an “important” first step towards preparing for its arrival.

Inslee reported that the state had already seen “a lot” of registrations on Monday, “but we need a lot more providers” to register in the coming days. Any supplier who signs up before December 6 could potentially be eligible to receive the first shipments of the vaccine.