OHIO — On the heels of the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine to the Miami Valley, two new positive developments are expected later this week.
First is the initial vaccinations of workers and residents at selected nursing homes and assisted living facilities around the state. That will begin Friday.
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Second, also late this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to give final approval to another vaccine developed by Moderna. The drug company has requested an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA which, if granted, would begin the shipment of millions of doses to states around the nation.
Zach Jenkins, Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Cedarville University, said it may have appeared to most people that the vaccine took a long time to develop, but in reality it was very quick, given all of the time needed for development, testing and government review.
“This is the fasted we’ve ever made a vaccine,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said having the Moderna vaccine in the supply pipeline will dramatically increase the volume of shipments of vaccines to states. Also, according to Jenkins, it will add to the overall effectiveness of the vaccination effort. Plainly put, Jenkins said all vaccines are not created equal. In non-medical terms that means all vaccines do not protect people in the exact same way.
“We don’t necessarily know with the Pfizer vaccine if it is always the most optimal for specific populations,” Jenkins said.
Vaccinations began this week with medical professionals, as designated in Governor Mike DeWine’s priority plan. Nurses, doctors and other health workers who come into contact with COVID-19 patients are in what’s called “Group 1A.” DeWine has yet to identify who is in group 1B.
A suggested list for 1B has been recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. It includes “People of all ages with comorbid and underlying conditions that put them at significantly higher risk and older adults living in congregate or overcrowded settings.”
Tops on the Academy’s suggested list for Phase Two are “Teachers, school staff and child care workers.”
The pace of the vaccinations is being done deliberately to maximize safety. Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Chief Medical Officer, Ohio Department of Health, said it is the same schedule of vaccinations they use for the flu.
“Usually at the beginning of that vaccine season, you take an initial smaller step to make sure you have got everything lined up and the process is going to work smoothly before you bring larger numbers of people in,” Vanderhoff said.
Springfield’s Regional Medical Center will vaccinated 975 staff members by the end of the month. Vanderhoff said as additional shipments come in, they will be larger in size and more frequent, allowing additional hospitals to provide the vaccine to their staff in the coming weeks. The state has not provided an exact timetable for the rest of the population, but Gov. DeWine has said generally it is expected most people who want to be vaccinated likely will have the opportunity to get it by the late spring or summer.
Gov. DeWine said more than 561,000 vaccine doses from Pfizer and Moderna are expected to be in the state by the end of the year, with a steady stream of doses expected after that.
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That’s in addition to the 98,475 doses that will be received this week.
Cox Media Group
