'Months and months' before large-scale COVID-19 vaccinations can be rolled out

THE DISTRIBUTION PROCESS. JENNIFER: THERE REALLY ARE SO MANY UNKNOWNS. IN BROCKTON, THEY’RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY PLACES THAT COULD GIVE THE VACCINE, LIKE THIS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER. WE LEARNED TODAY THAT ONCE THE VACCINE IS APPROVED, MASSACHUSETTS IS SET TO RECEIVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOSES RIGHT AWAY. BROCKTON’S HEALTH DIRECTOR -- DIRECTOR HOPES THE REFRIGERATOR WILL BE STOCKED WITH COVID-19 VACCINES. YOU CAN KEEP THE VACCINE IN HERE? >> WE WOULD HAVE TO RELOCATE THE REGULAR FLU VACCINE BECAUSE WE CANNOT KEEP AT THE SAME TEMPERATURE. JENNIFER: THERE ARE PROMISING RESULTS FROM TRIALS. MASSACHUSETTS OF CHECK DID -- >> >> THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL BE ALLOCATING VACCINE TO THE STATES BASED ON POPULATION. IF THERE’S AN EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, MASSACHUSETTS COULD RECEIVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOSES BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. JENNIFER: DR. PAUL BILLY -- BIDDING JURY -- HE FORMED THE GROUP TO HELP THE STEAK AT THE VACCINE FROM THE FACTORY TO THE FRONT LINES. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES. PFIZER’S VACCINE IS TO BE STORED AT 100 DEGREES BELOW FAHRENHEIT. >> THE SHIPPING ATTAINDER’S THAT HAVE DRY ICE CAN KEEP THE PRODUCT FOR UP TO 15 DAYS AS LONG AS THE DRY ICE IS REPLENISHED AND NOT OPENED MORE THAN TWICE A DAY. JENNIFE: THE DOCTOR IS OPTIMISTIC BUT GIVES THIS DOSE OF REALITY. >> IT WILL TAKE MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS TO BE ABLE TO ROLLOUT THIS SCALE OF VACCINATION, AND WE HAVE TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE VACCINATED A LARGE PART OF THE COMMUNITY BEFORE WE CAN START ROLLING BACK SOME OF THE INTERVENTIONS THAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW. JENNIFER: IF YOU ARE EAGER TO GET THE VACCINE, THE BEST ADVICE IS TO STAND BY. THE STATE SHOULD BE REACHING OUT TO INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY SOON TO HELP THEM WITH PLANS F

News about the development of a COVID-19 vaccine is encouraging, but it will still be months before it's widely available. Pfizer and Moderna have released promising results from their vaccine trials, and Massachusetts has submitted a draft plan to the Centers for Disease Control on how a potential COVID vaccine would be distributed.“As best as we understand, the federal government will be allocating vaccine to the states based on their population,” said Dr. Paul Biddinger, of Massachusetts General Hospital. “What we have heard is, potentially, if there is an emergency use authorized before the end of the year, that Massachusetts could receive hundreds of thousands of doses before the end of the year.”Biddinger chairs the Massachusetts Vaccine Advisory Group, which was formed to help figure out how to get the vaccine from the factory to the front lines.There are a number of challenges. Pfizer's vaccine needs to be stored at close to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit.“They've engineered special shipping containers that have dry ice and can keep the product for up to 15 days as long as the dry ice is replenished and it isn't opened more than twice a day,” Biddinger said. Biddinger is optimistic, but he gives a dose of reality.“People have to understand it will take months and months and months to be able to roll out this scale of vaccination, and we have to vaccinate a large portion of the population before we can roll back the interventions we need right now,” he said.

BROCKTON, Mass. —

News about the development of a COVID-19 vaccine is encouraging, but it will still be months before it's widely available.

Pfizer and Moderna have released promising results from their vaccine trials, and Massachusetts has submitted a draft plan to the Centers for Disease Control on how a potential COVID vaccine would be distributed.

“As best as we understand, the federal government will be allocating vaccine to the states based on their population,” said Dr. Paul Biddinger, of Massachusetts General Hospital. “What we have heard is, potentially, if there is an emergency use authorized before the end of the year, that Massachusetts could receive hundreds of thousands of doses before the end of the year.”

Biddinger chairs the Massachusetts Vaccine Advisory Group, which was formed to help figure out how to get the vaccine from the factory to the front lines.

There are a number of challenges. Pfizer's vaccine needs to be stored at close to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

“They've engineered special shipping containers that have dry ice and can keep the product for up to 15 days as long as the dry ice is replenished and it isn't opened more than twice a day,” Biddinger said.

Biddinger is optimistic, but he gives a dose of reality.

“People have to understand it will take months and months and months to be able to roll out this scale of vaccination, and we have to vaccinate a large portion of the population before we can roll back the interventions we need right now,” he said.

'Months and months' before large-scale COVID-19 vaccinations can be rolled out

TRACKING THE COVID-19 VACCINE

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