What Distribution of COVID Vaccine May Look Like in the Stateline

Many pharmaceutical companies are working around the clock to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and last week Pfizer filed their version with the FDA for approval.

The good news for those that want to get the vaccine is, the day is coming sooner rather than later, the bad news? Distribution will be slow going, but I think we all knew that would be the case, right?

Anywho, Tom Carey, Director of Pharmacy at SwedishAmerican Hospital, recently spoke with WIFR about the arrival, and eventual distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, and said;

we are actually hoping initial doses could be distributed to this area before the end of the calendar year,” says Carey. “However that’s going to be limited supply and focused for just certain populations, which have yet to be determined.”

I think it's safe to assume that the "certain populations" will be those most at risk like the elderly and people with compromising health issues. Tom Carey also said told WIFR that he believes vaccine distribution to the rest of the public won't happen until late summer or Fall of 2021.

Now that we've covered distribution, the next hurdle to overcome is how to store the vaccine. According to WIFR;

Carey said hospitals will need to store the vaccine in a negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit environment, which poses several challenges.

There are supplies that can maintain at that temperature, the challenge is most healthcare facilities don’t have that resource available to store that vaccine in large qualities for an extended amount of time.

If you're on the fence about getting the vaccine or not, I guess the moral of this story is, you will have several more months to ponder that decision.

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