Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Although the first coronavirus vaccine has been approved and Florida was expected to receive its first batch as early as this past Monday, Jefferson County residents will likely not be among the first to get the two-shot vaccine.
Pam Gilleland-Beck, public information officer for the Florida Department of Health in Jefferson (FDOH-Jefferson), told the Monticello News last week that the first shipment Florida received of 2.9 million Pfizer vaccines that were to be shipped to more than 600 sites across the country would go to hospitals with the capability to store the vaccine at the required below-freezing temperature.
“From there, they will be further distributed according to a predetermined plan,” Gilleland-Beck said. “Jefferson County will most likely not receive vaccines from this first shipment.”
She added that all counties in the state were in the process of developing vaccine plans, including Jefferson County.
Gilleland-Beck shared what local health officials knew of the state of things as of Thursday, Dec. 10, a day before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer vaccine.
CVS Pharmacy, is currently the only facility in Jefferson County capable of storing the vaccine at the required temperature, which is minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit), described as a sub-Artic temperature.
She noted that the FDOH-Jefferson has submitted an application under the CARES-Act for the federal funding to buy or rent a refrigerator capable of storing the Pfizer vaccine. Which application, she said, was still under consideration by the state, which is administering the distribution of the CARES-Act funding.
To her knowledge, Gilleland-Beck said, long-term care residents and the staffs of such facilities, as well as high-risk health care staffs, were slated to receive the first vaccines.
“Both nursing home facilities in Jefferson County are planning to work with CVS Pharmacy to have their residents vaccinated,” Gilleland-Beck said.
County residents who have medical care providers are to work through their providers to receive the vaccination. The FDOH-Jefferson clinic, meanwhile, will serve those who lack medical care providers, either directly or through a contract with a partner or partners.
“This is yet to be determined,” Gilleland-Beck said.
She added that the FDOH-Jefferson had requested funding through the CARES-Act for the purchase of a point of dispensing (POD) tent in order to provide drive-through vaccinations.
“The application was approved and the tent has been ordered,” she said.
On Friday, Dec. 11, Governor Ron DeSantis said Florida would receive a first batch of 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which would go to healthcare workers in high risk/high contact environments and to hospitals.
“Our top priority is residents of long-term care facilities,” DeSantis said.
Per the distribution plan that the governor outlined, CVS and Walgreens would get 60,450 doses, 21,450 would go to the Florida Department of Health, the Division of Emergency Management and Florida National Guard strike teams, and 97,500 would go to the hospitals.
Next in line after aforementioned, according to the governor, would be elderly residents and those suffering multiple diseases or medical conditions that made them more vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Health experts say the release of the vaccine couldn’t come at a more opportune time, given the surging number of coronavirus cases as the pandemic rages on. As of Friday, Dec. 11, Florida had recorded 1,116,973 cases and 20,049 deaths, and the United States numbered more than 16 million cases and nearly 300,000 deaths.
The FDA’s authorization of the Pfizer vaccine on an emergency basis on Friday, Dec. 11, kicked off Operation Warp Speed, an unprecedented effort to inoculate enough Americans 16 and older to defeat the pandemic.
The FDA authorization came a day after its advisory committee, composed of scientists, recommended the vaccine’s approval, finding that its benefits exceeded the known risks.
In its authorization, the FDA directed Pfizer to monitor for allergic reactions to the vaccines, after health officials in England reported two incidents of severe allergic response to the injection.
U.S. health authorities are recommending that anyone with a known history of a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient not take the vaccine.
Meanwhile, the FDA is expected to authorize a second vaccine by Moderna almost on the heels of the Pfizer vaccine. And other potential vaccines are in various stages of development in the U.S. and in other countries.
While viewed as a potential lifesaver, health experts caution that the vaccine will likely not dramatically impact the pandemic immediately. They note that the initial supply of the vaccine will fall far short of the 300 million doses needed. It is also unknown at this point how long the vaccine’s protection will last. Many Americans remain skeptical of innoculation and are reluctant to get the shot.
The CDC is projecting that a staggering number of COVID-19 deaths will occur in the coming winter months, notwithstanding the arrival of the vaccine. The CDC is urging people to continue to wear a mask, social distance and take other precautions to minimize the spread of the disease in the coming months.