Next steps after FDA authorizes COVID vaccine

47 ABC – The FDA recently authorized a COVID-19 vaccine and shipments are on their way to local health departments. Now states are laying out their next steps.

“The vaccine is a critical mitigation strategy in the overall response,” says Doctor Rick Hong, State Medical Director at Delaware Division of Public Health. Public Affairs Officer, Travis Brown say, “we want people to know that they are safe, they are effective, you know they work.”

Officials say the vaccine will be administered in phases. In the first phase, the vaccine will be given to high risk workers, such as health care workers and first responders, and residents in long term care facilities.

Dr. Hong says, “hospitals or health systems will be receiving vaccines either directly from the federal level or from our centralized location in the state.”

Several more phases will take place after that, before the vaccine is available to the general population. however, there is no concrete timeline.

“For the general population, if they’re not at high risk, if they don’t have a job that might put them at risk, it could be a few weeks or longer, it’s hard because we don’t have a crystal ball,” says Brown.

Brown also tells 47 abc everything will depend on availability and production. However, health officials continue to highlight the importance of getting this vaccine.

“We do encourage people that regardless of side affects, that you should complete the series to get the maximum benefit of this vaccine, especially during the current pandemic,” says Dr. Hong.

“It’s not a silver bullet fix to end the pandemic immediately, but it should be a huge step forward,” says Brown.

Health officials say, the Pfizer vaccine does require two doses spaced about three weeks a part to be effective. DPH plans to remind individuals to get their second dose of the vaccine by letters, automated phone calls and text messages, and by patient record cards.

In Maryland, the second phase of vaccine distribution involves essential workers. In Delaware, it involves those at moderate risk. Delaware and Maryland both received their first shipments of the vaccine today.

Delaware’s shipment arrived at Bayhealth’s Kent county location. Meanwhile Maryland’s shipment arrived at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.