Early Monday morning, it was revealed that Pfizer officials said their COVID-19 vaccine was 90 percent effective. The vaccine still needs to be approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration.
But with the seemingly imminent approval of a vaccine, state health officials are starting distribution plans.
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine provided an update late last week on the three phases for how the state will distribute a vaccine.
“Phase one will be healthcare personnel in various different settings and some vulnerable populations,” Levine said. “Phase two is more of those in more vulnerable populations, and then when we go into phase three, the general public will be able to get the vaccine. We’ll have widespread distribution to clinics, doctors office, etcetera.”
Levine explains what people should expect about the impact a vaccine will have.
“We anticipate the COVID-19 vaccine will be somewhat similar to the flu vaccine that it will help prevent the virus, that many and most people who get the vaccine will not contract COVID-19.”
There still has been no formal timeline on when a vaccine might be approved, and when it will be ready for distribution.
