The first doses of Pfizer’s corona virus vaccine are due to arrive in Washington on Monday, with first-line health workers’ first vaccinations set to begin Tuesday.
An enthusiastic Washington Gov. Jay Insley announced the deadline at that rare Sunday news conference.
“We’re ready to go,” Insley said. “We now know that there will be an end to this turmoil and this shock and this challenge.”
Insley’s announcement, which he called “delighted,” came as a coalition review of the alliance of four western states, including Washington and Oregon, which unanimously determined Pfizer’s Govt-19 vaccine to be obtained in two doses at 21-day intervals. “Safe and effective.”
“Hope is coming,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said in a statement with that approval.
Sandra Lindsay, a nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, is being vaccinated with the Pfizer-Bioendech Govit-19 vaccine by Dr. Michael Chester in New York on Monday. The Washington government expects to begin vaccinating its health workers on Tuesday.
Mark Lennyhan / A.P.
Two Washington doctors who worked on that multi-state team joined Insley at his news conference and expressed confidence in the safety of the vaccine.
Seattle pediatrician Dr. John Dunn said, “I think its benefits outweigh any risks.
Many state study groups have been wary of how long the vaccine will be effective and of many vaccines, including its safety for pregnant women and children under 16 years of age. Nevertheless, Dr. Edgar Marcus, another pediatrician review team, said pregnant women could still be vaccinated.
“Hopefully we still don’t have enough data, but there’s no reason to stop vaccinating a pregnant woman who wants to get it,” Marcus said.
Insley also addressed the reluctance of African American men to believe in the vaccine of some colorful communities that give a history of unethical and racist practices, such as the Dusky study that was inadvertently injected with syphilis as part of an experiment.
“We truly believe that this is widely accepted to save all of these people in these communities and not to allow the sins of the past to increase the death rates in these communities,” Insley said, adding that people of color are proportionately affected by the epidemic.
The government wants to share information about the vaccine in the coming weeks and months through public service announcements.
Last week, the Pfizer-Bioentech vaccine received initial emergency use approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Saturday, a CDC advisory panel also recommended the use of the vaccine for people 16 and older. The vaccine has been found to be 95 percent effective.
Washington expects to receive a total of 222,000 doses of the initial 62,000 dose vaccine by the end of the month. That’s 20,000 more than originally expected. In addition, the government expects to receive 183,000 doses of a vaccine developed by Modern Therapeutics, which will receive FDA approval this week.
The first levels will go to about 40 facilities in 29 of Washington’s 39 counties, with the risk of being infected with the virus centered on health workers, as well as those who infect patients, as well as high-risk first responders.
Other priority groups in this first tier – or 1a – category include those with long-term care facilities. Michael Roberts, assistant secretary of health coordinating Washington’s vaccine distribution, said some of the initial quantities would be distributed to two tribal countries and one urban Indian health center.
“As Washington continues to receive additional allocations from disease control centers over the next several weeks, we will continue to include many more vaccinating organizations and more districts,” Roberts said.
For his part, Insley said he will get vaccinated when his turn comes based on his age and risk type.
The rapid and widespread distribution of the COVID vaccine is an unprecedented and strenuous endeavor that will serve as another test of Washington State’s crisis potential. State officials say more evidence is needed to answer the vaccine. Funds for the initiative may be included in Inslee’s proposed budget, which he plans to release on Thursday. The state is also pushing for additional federal assistance.
“The key is that the government will do whatever it takes to ensure that the vaccine is available to everyone in Washington, and if there are additional federal resources to support this work it means we do not need to stop or delay other important people,” Roberts continued in an email to News Services.
For now, the Washington National Guard is not helping the effort. Vaccine distribution should be managed by the pharmaceutical company McKesson, or in the case of the Pfizer vaccine, which should be kept at a negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit, directly by the manufacturer, state officials said.
Long-term care facilities will have the option to participate in the federal pharmaceutical distribution program through Walgreens and CVS. Vaccinations will begin on December 28 following a two-week planning period. Washington State has set vaccine dosages for the unnamed pharmacy, which also provides long-term care facilities in the state. More details about the initiative are expected this weekend.
But when Insley announced the end of the epidemic, he and state health official Dr Kathy Loffee warned that it would take months for everyone who wants to be vaccinated and it would take months for the government to achieve herd immunity.
Meanwhile, they asked the public to wear masks, wash their hands and avoid meetings, including the December holidays. Insley noted that more than 1,000 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19 in Washington, and that the government is approaching 3,000 COVID deaths.
“We can find a safe harbor, which is considering this vaccine, but we’m not in port yet, this is not the moment for the ship to jump,” Insley said.