State surges due to the largest vaccination effort in US history

COVID-19 vaccine approaching and open to the public health Officials across the country are preparing for the largest vaccination effort in US history. This is a monumental undertaking that needs to distribute hundreds of millions of doses, prioritize who is in line first, and ensure that those who get the first shot return to the second shot they need.

The push will begin as early as next month, and federal officials say the first vaccine may be approved for emergency use and soon deployed to high-risk groups such as: health care worker.

“The cavalry is coming,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC’s “Good Morning America” ​​Thursday. He said he hopes that shots will be available to all Americans in April, May and June.

Pfizer raised expectations this week by saying early data suggest that the vaccine is 90% effective. But the good news was in one of the most disastrous weeks of the pandemic to date. Deaths, hospitalizations and new infectious diseases are skyrocketing across the United States, increasing pressure to get the vaccine right.

In Philadelphia, the health sector counts the number of health workers and others in line first. In Louisiana, authorities are planning remote exercises this week to perform various scenarios exploring how the process evolves.

“If you take 10,000 doses, what do you do for 100,000 doses?” Said Dr. Frank Welch, director of the Louisiana vaccination program.

State and local authorities are also planning that the initial shipment may not be sufficient to cover everyone in the high priority group.

Similar preparations are being made at the federal level. Welch listened to a “wargame” session by the US Department of Health and Human Services last week.

For vaccination efforts to get going, state authorities are preparing systems to track supplies and who was vaccinated. That information will be sent to a national network and will be important in providing federal health authorities with the latest status of vaccinations nationwide.

Healthcare providers such as pharmacies and clinics also need to be able to retrieve records, so they don’t have to go back to the same location for a second shot. Multiple vaccines may be available and doses cannot be mixed and matched.

“We need to not only bring people back for the second vaccination, but also make sure they have a very good record of the vaccine they received first,” Maryland Health said. Said Dr. Jinlene Chan of the station.

The state already has a vaccination registration and will be used for COVID-19.

The CDC has asked providers to report the race and ethnicity of the vaccinated people in order to better understand whether the at-risk group is vaccinated. However, pharmacies and other providers who do not always collect that information objected.

“We need to be careful not to put too much administrative burden on providers who are already stressed,” said Mitchell Rothholtz of the American Pharmacists Association, an industry group.

He said the provider is said to have the option of excluding that information.

Providers also need to report vaccination information daily. State officials say this is usually a coordination of providers entering data weekly or weekly.

To help people find doses in their area, the CDC wants to post information on the Vaccine Finder website. This website is updated daily with the latest inventory.

John Reid, who manages the state’s vaccination registry, said that providing inventory information is currently only entered by one person, some providers, including Utah hospitals. He said it could be a labor burden for him.

“And they don’t do that every day. Utah state officials said they plan to update their inventory rather than asking each provider to enter it.

The state is also working to increase the number of pharmacies, clinics and other providers that can manage COVID-19. vaccine, To make the shots useful.

However, registration can be time consuming, as providers often need to assist in filling out forms, operating technical systems, and performing inspections to meet storage requirements, Reed said. I am. The Pfizer vaccine should be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit).

Given the hurdles, Reed does not expect small pharmacies to become COVID-19 vaccine providers.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention may require two vaccinations every 3-4 weeks, so as with polio vaccinations, Americans have issued a card that will be obtained from the first injection. I’m looking at ways to remind me of the second injection. A card that many older Americans remember carrying.

Many people will probably need additional prodding.

In rural South Carolina, a community health center is planning multiple reminders, including text messages and calls from healthcare professionals.

Still, Ann Lewis, CEO of Care South Carolina, who runs the health center, said, “There will still be people going through the cracks.”

Dose distribution is another issue. Pfizer vaccines may initially get a green light and are shipped in doses close to 1,000 times.

Rich Lekin, head of the Utah vaccination program, said: “With a minimum of 1,000 vaccinations, it is very difficult to vaccinate a small facility.

Cargo can go to hospitals that are easily accessible to healthcare professionals from multiple locations, Lakin said.

“They may have to drive to the hospital to get the vaccine,” he said.

In North Dakota, providers who receive less than 1,000 doses ship to state warehouses that can maintain ultra-low temperature storage.

“We break them down into smaller amounts and then send them to the provider,” said Molly Howell, state immunization director.

State and local health departments split and redistribute other shipments vaccineFor small providers who do not need it, it is expected that at least 100 dose orders will be required. But even if the distribution goes smoothly, authorities are worried that people may not want the shot.

Patrick Pier, who runs the Good Neighbor Community Health Center in Columbus, Nebraska, said: “If there is a real challenge, to be honest, it will persuade people to get vaccinated.

So far, the state has received far less money than it needs to distribute the vaccine, and it’s unclear if more federal support will come. The Public Health Group estimates that an additional $ 8.4 billion will be needed to pay for staff, data systems, and outreach and supply costs.

This fall, in the Minnesota countryside, traffic vest masked nurses reached out to cars to vaccinate passengers with the flu. The drive-through clinic was a path to social distance in a pandemic, but one day it also served as a test run to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

Carlton County has purchased a mobile vaccination station to prepare for a similar large clinic for coronavirus. However, county health officials are also responding to the sudden surge in incidents, and many questions remain unanswered, such as when the vaccine will arrive and how many times it will be given.

“It’s all floating in the air,” said public health nurse expert Jenny Balta.