Once the Delaware vaccine is available, it should be kept at freezing temperature so that health systems can begin vaccinating their leading staff within 24 hours.
“The arrival of the Pfizer vaccine after nine long months of fighting with Govt-19 is welcome news,” Governor John Carney said. “This vaccine will help protect our health workers who work day and night to care for and save the lives of the sick. But we are not yet clear. We are still in the harsh winter.”
The vaccine will be distributed in three phases:
Phase 1a: Health workers, emergency medical services and long-term care workers and residents will be vaccinated first.
The rest of Phase 1: In early 2021, those working in high-risk and critical infrastructure industries such as food processing, utilities, education, police and fire, those working in board systems such as correctional facilities and homeless shelters, as well as certain basic health conditions, and those over 65 and over will be vaccinated Likely.
Phase 2: (March 2021) Those with a moderate risk of receiving COVID-19 are eligible for the vaccine. More details about specific groups will be provided at this point as we get closer.
Step 3: (Spring / Summer 2021) When the vaccine becomes widely available, the general public can expect to receive the vaccine through their primary care providers, health centers and pharmacies.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer’s Govit-19 vaccine for people 16 and older late Friday, but warned that those with severe allergic reactions to any component of the vaccine should avoid taking it.
But this begs the question – what is in the vaccine?
The good news is that Pfizer’s MRNA vaccine does not contain any allergens, such as eggs or metals.
In fact, for allergists, most products do not sound any alarm bells. Pfizer’s vaccine contains genes called MRNA, as well as fats, salts, and other substances commonly found in everyday medicine.
Experts explained that MRNA is naturally present in every cell of our body, so it is harmless. The lipids, or fat lobes and salts found in the vaccine add stability and structure to MRNA, and help MRNA slide into our cells. In this way, the cells of our immune system can respond properly and learn to attack the virus when they are naturally exposed in the right world.
There is only one ingredient in the vaccine called PEG, which can cause an allergic reaction, but experts agree that it is unlikely to be a problem for the majority of people.
PEG “is the most common inactive ingredient found in a lot of antidepressants and in a lot of injections,” said Dr. Erin L. Ree, a physician working at the Department of Allergy and Medical Immunology in Dortmouth-Hitchcock, told ABC News.
“I have seen a few allergic reactions to this in my career, but it is very rare,” he added.
ABC News contributed to this report.
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