When Can I Get The Covid-19 Vaccine?

By: Melody Rabor-Dizon

 

As of date, the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, drug companies are racing who gets approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In Illinois alone, our numbers for Covid + patients rarely go below the 5-digit mark or 10,000 mark over the last 2 weeks. The 2 contenders, Pfizer and Moderna has been such a hot topic with policy makers, medical professionals, politicians and healthcare workforce as the resurgence of unprecedented Covid deaths are on the rise. Tagged as the rich man’s vaccine, to be stored at below-94 degrees, Pfizer’s storage shelf life must be considered, while Moderna be kept @ -4 degrees.

It is just fitting to know who and when can the general public get the immunization. States are vying on when the vaccination will roll out and how it will roll out.

One thing is for sure, there is no first-come first- served basis. Pending emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), mass production and mass distribution cannot be disseminated to all at once. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an independent committee advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was in favor of making essential health care workers and residents/staff of long-term care facilities be top on the list, known as Phase 1a.

Why are health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities first on the list?

First responders or our dedicated healthcare workers who are the front liners of the deadly virus becomes the first-infected as well. It is but rational and necessary for them to get vaccinated first. You can’t give what you don’t have. Despite being overwhelmed and understaffed, nurses, doctors, technicians and the likes of those providing care, they show up day in and day out to care for the sick. Keeping our health care providers healthy is important to maintain our health care system running.

The numbers do not lie as there is a high percentage of people getting infected in long term care facilities and given their underlying chronic condition, it just make sense to prioritize them too. Giving our sickest and most vulnerable patients vaccination speaks a lot about our population health.

The main objective of vaccination it to decrease deaths and/or life-threatening condition preserving life and maintain necessary functions for the community thereby improving economy

Will the COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory for these groups?

That is currently unknown as talks of mandating immunization is still ongoing. This may be likened to the flu shot that health care workers are to get or sign a declination form if they are against it.” Bottom line is we cannot force on anyone to get vaccinated. If they refused it, they refused it. It is still their right. However, they ought to know and understand as they sign off the risks and benefits of having the shot.

So, what happens now?

CDC director Robert Redfield’s next step is to issue emergency use authorizations (EUAs), which may happen by mid-December, then vaccine shipments could start within 24 hours. Given individual states and their policies, they are not required to follow those strategies, however CDC expects states to align with the national recommendations, with modifications and priorities that will best suit their needs.

The CDC has proposed:

Phase Ib to include essential workers (such as law enforcement, teachers, firefighters, and corrections officers)

Phase Ic to include adults age 65 and older, plus adults with high-risk medical conditions.

There is a scheduled meet with independent experts come Dec 10th to review Pfizer data and make recommendations thereafter.

During the time of pandemic, there is still a reason to celebrate Christmas even if you have lost a loved one or not even see family members on these special occasions. Our God still sits in His throne and our life journey is still being written. All I could say is that everything has a time and purpose under the heavens.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!!!!