If you may be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer’s vaccine trial is not over yet.

There are still weeks of research needed to collect more safety data.

At that point, estimated to be around the third week of November, the drug companies Submit the survey results To the FDA for an emergency license (EUA).

“The FDA will review it within four weeks, and if the EUA approves, it may begin distribution as early as late December,” he said. Dr. Onie Maog Buag, Associate Professor of Medicine, Yale University Infectious Diseases Specialist and Principal Investigator of the Pfizer Examination at Yale University School of Medicine.

Assuming that the review and approval process is all going well, Schaffner said the initial deployment of the vaccine could begin at the end of December.

Pfizer vaccines are complicated to distribute and store because they need to be stored at extremely cold temperatures around -70 ° C (-94 ° F).

“There are real logistics, education, and organizational challenges here,” says Schaffner.

When packed with dry ice, the dose will be distributed in place (set by the state health department).

Once the dose reaches its final location (hospital, nursing home, retail pharmacy, etc.), it should be handled and stored with special care.

When the vaccine dose reaches the final location (hospital, nursing home, or retail pharmacy), place it in fresh dry ice or Cooling unit..

Some places put the vaccine on new dry ice, while others invest in expensive cooling equipment.

According to Schaffner, some state health departments may invest in mobile units to provide vaccinations in various locations such as nursing homes and hospitals.

“Get popcorn as this can be orchestration and tuning at its best,” he said. Dr. Daniel Fagbuy, An emergency doctor who was an expert in biological defense under the Obama administration.

Pfizer is estimated to produce about 50 million doses by the end of the year.

The vaccine is given twice every 28 days. This means that only 25 million people can access the first batch.

“Because two doses are needed to ensure protection, people are prioritized to finish their series, the two-dose series, before going to others,” Schaffner said. ..

Health officials are still working to determine exactly who will be vaccinated first.

Schaffner expects different groups to take precedence in different parts of the country.

Its priorities have not yet been confirmed, but Schaffer said nursing home healthcare professionals and first responders are likely to be the first group to be vaccinated.

Pfizer predicts that sometime in 2021, there will be more than a billion doses.

As higher doses become available in 2021, the next high-priority group (either the high-risk elderly or key workers) will be vaccinated.

According to Schaffner, between February and March, there should be enough dose to reach these other high-priority segments.

Opportunities for the general public to be vaccinated may be near the middle or end of 2021.

“”[This] It takes three to six months due to both production and distribution challenges, “says Ogbuagu. “And [the] The need for two doses means that many doses are needed. ”

Fagbuyi said the vaccine may begin to reach the general public around March or April.

“Given the link between logistics hurdles and inevitable error room, it could be in full swing by June 2021,” Fagbuyi said.

Another reason why it is difficult to determine the exact timeline for the COVID-19 vaccine is that some people may be skeptical of vaccination.

“Like the average person, there is a lot of skepticism and reluctance among all healthcare professionals,” Schaffner said.

In some areas, there may be sufficient doses not charged from the first batch and people in the second highest priority group may be vaccinated.

Local health authorities need to be flexible.

“If you can’t get the vaccine into group 1, and you don’t have enough people, it doesn’t make sense to leave the vaccine unused in the fridge, so I’d like to move to group 2,” Schaffner said. Stated. “You want to use the vaccine as a weapon.”

And even after being vaccinated, people still need to wear a mask-like face cover.

The 90% effectiveness of the vaccine is a great achievement, but it still means that 10% of those who receive the vaccine are at risk of infection.

Also, it is still unclear whether the vaccine will prevent the transmission of the virus or the disease.

Those answers will be in the second half of next year.

“We must continue to wear masks to protect ourselves and others,” Schaffner said.

Pfizer announced this week that the COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective. The next big question is when people start getting it.

Due to the limited dose, the vaccine is given to the first selected group.

If the FDA grants Pfizer an Emergency License (EUA), the process could begin in December with healthcare professionals and first responders.

Other parts of the population, such as key workers and high-risk individuals, may be vaccinated around February or March.

The general public may see the dose progress towards the middle or end of 2021.