With U.S. FDA approval of a COVID-19 vaccine expected as soon as Dec. 10, state regulators are preparing for the first rollout of inoculations, though it remains unclear how many people will need to receive the vaccine before there is significant impact on community spread and virus restrictions.
California is scheduled to receive doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in mid-December. “Transparency, equity, and safety will continue to be our top priorities as we begin the distribution process for Phase 1,” Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on Twitter.
The first phase will follow national CDC guidelines, going to healthcare workers, as well as long-term care facility residents and staff.
“Currently, California is identifying potential facilities to receive and administer COVID-19 vaccine(s) for Phase I-a of the vaccination,” according to a statement provided by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to the Northern California Record. “The majority will likely be hospitals and local health departments. Phase 1-a is likely to focus on vaccinating healthcare workers, especially those working directly with COVID-19 patients.
“As the vaccine distribution increases, the vaccination effort will expand to include other essential workers and individuals at higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness. Additional facilities, to include pharmacies and congregant living settings, will be added to the recipient list for expanded distribution. Facility participation is voluntary and requires registration and approval by local, state and federal government.”
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines being considered for FDA authorization are expected to be at least 95 percent effective.
“They both are mRNA vaccines, with a sequence already identified in the early months [of the pandemic], so they knew exactly what they needed to target for it to be effective for the virus,” Dr. Richard Dang, president-elect of the California Pharmacists Association, assistant professor of Clinical Pharmacy at USC, and a member of Newsom’s COVID-19 Testing Task Force, told the Record.
“With the general population, we might be looking at Phase 2 or 3, maybe March of April, for the vaccine beginning to be widely available at pharmacies,” Dang said. “The vaccine is being fully vetted by multiple layers of experts, and after it is authorized, we could get more doses daily or weekly.” Dang said.
“It will take a while to get it to every single person in the general population, but at least we are looking at the beginning of the end of this tragic pandemic,” Dang said.