(Image source from: Indianexpress.com)
The United States Food and Drug Administration has the power to authorize Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to distribute to the citizens as soon as the next week begins, finally kicking the highly complex and awaited process of vaccinating Americans against the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.
The first deliveries of the Pfizer vaccine might arrive in Connecticut on Monday, depending on the timing and intensity of the emergency use authorization. Once the vaccination is approved by the FDA scientists, the vaccine distribution will begin 24 hours from the positive review approval point.
The Pfizer’s has authorization and requires extreme conditions for its use. For starters, the vaccine requires ultra -cold storage at minus 112 degrees in order to make its shelf life the longest to withhold the vaccination medical purposes and longevity. They are kept in special thermal boxes with temperature control and monitors along the way. The movement of each vaccine box will be tracked by multiple GPS and radio trackers during its journey.
UPS and Fed Ex will be the courier services responsible to ship the vaccines to the providers who will immune the people such as hospitals, pharmacies, outpatient clinics, doctors’ offices and others.
These vaccine providers will be sent across 1,100 departments across the country and move the vaccines to different facilities across the state. Connecticut is expected to receive 31,200 doses from January 4th onwards.
The first doses of the vaccine will 204,000 doses and will prioritize Connecticut health care workers, 22,000 nursing home residents and 6,000 medical first responds, predicting that 20 percent of each group would decline to be immunized. The first vaccine shipments will be sent to the providers who will cater to these groups. Hospitals will vaccinate their own health care workers.
Hartford Health care is projected to receive its first doses of the vaccine as early as Friday.
After an initial batch of the vaccine is shipped out to the state, it will eventually become accessible at a wider range of providers to more people, as more doses become available and the vaccine will be available at hospitals, large outpatient clinics, doctors’ offices care facilities and other federal sites.
The general public will still have to continue to wear masks, social distance and wash their hands for months until the entire population will be immunized.
By Meena Atmakuri
