A freezer temperature reads -69 degrees Celsius, and workers must be sent to the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo Production Plant in Bordage on Sunday, December 13, 2020, when they move the boxes containing the Pfizer-Bioentech Covit-19 vaccine. (AP. Photo / Mori Cash, Pool)
The first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use in the United States went to distribution centers across the country from Michigan on Sunday, with the first shots expected to be delivered to health workers and nursing homes next week.
“I am pleased that the federal government has approved the use of a Govt vaccine,” Gov. Jay Insley said Sunday, adding that Washington State has also completed its own scientific safety review, along with other West Coast states with its allies.
Washington enters into agreement with Western states to review approved COVID-19 vaccines
“It’s not coming soon, frankly,” he said of the vaccine.
The Western State Working Group gave its “unanimous” approval Saturday, Insley said.
“Because of this tough process, I hope Washington can start getting this vaccine in a safe way,” Insley added.
The first vaccinations could begin in our state early Tuesday, and will reach health workers, long-term care residents and caregivers at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.
Insley added that it would take several months for everyone who wants to get vaccinated in Washington state and across the country. He said he will be vaccinated as soon as he qualifies.
“This is a wonderful milestone in this epidemic,” said state health official Dr Kathy Loffey. “It took several months for everyone to get vaccinated. Now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Lofy said the vaccine is another “toolbox” in controlling the spread of COVID-19, adding that it comes at a time when there are 1,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across Washington state.
“I fully support the use of this vaccine in the state of Washington,” Lofie said.
Dr. Lofie also said he will be vaccinated as soon as he qualifies.
“Our security measures will continue in the coming months,” the government said in a statement. “They have added value now because we know the results will be seen.”
Pfizer vaccine exports have killed the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history by 1.6 million and are at a critical juncture that has killed 71 million worldwide.
Initially, about 3 million doses were expected to be dispatched, and priority is being given to health workers and nursing home residents in the United States as epidemics, hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise. The vaccine offers a bright spot in the fight against the epidemic that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans, with numbers likely to plummet over the holidays.
Federal officials say the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine will stumble and arrive at 145 distribution centers on Monday, with an additional 425 sites to be shipped on Tuesday and the remaining 66 to be shipped on Wednesday. The vaccine, developed in collaboration with German partner Bioendech, is based on the number of adults in each state.
The vaccine goes to hospitals and other sites, where it can be stored at extremely low temperatures – 94 degrees below zero. Pfizer uses containers with dry ice and GPS-enabled sensors to ensure that each ship is cooler than the weather in Antarctica.
Federal officials said all vaccine sites identified by states, such as local pharmacies, must be given the drug within three weeks.
The vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, saying it was safe and had no major safety issues. Although U.S. regulators worked for months to assert the severity and independence of their review, they faced political pressure until the final stages.
Concerns that vaccination efforts will be undermined in a country where some people are skeptical about the vaccine – due to the overall resistance to some vaccines and others due to the rapid deadline for the development of antiviral vaccines. Some health workers have even said in surveys that they will at least skip first round shots to see how things are going.
Despite the White House threatening to expel him if the vaccine is not approved on Saturday, the FDA leader has repeatedly insisted that the agency’s decision was based on science, not politics.
Another vaccine for moderna will be reviewed by a panel of experts next week and may soon be approved for general use.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.