COVID-19 vaccine: Who will be first when Tippecanoe Co.’s initial doses arrive in December? – Journal & Courier

Indiana could received its first supply of coronavirus vaccine soon, federal health officials say. However, there are still many questions about the vaccine. Wochit

LAFAYETTE With promises of a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon, Tippecanoe County health officials said this week they were making plans for distribution, lining up freezers for specialized storage and determining who would get the first doses.

We have a lot to line up, Dr. Jeremy Adler, Tippecanoe Countys health officer, said Wednesday. Were looking forward to a vaccine, no question. But its going to be a massive undertaking.

Indiana is girding to receive its first doses of a coronavirus vaccine some time next month, Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said Wednesday.

Pfizer, the company which makes the vaccine, has submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for approval, and the government agency is expected to review it in early December, Box said.

A shot is prepared as part of a possible COVID-19 vaccine developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. in Binghamton N.Y.(Photo: Hans Pennink)

Hospitals and health care workers should be prepared to receive the first doses of the vaccine soon after, Box said.

On Wednesday, Adler said Tippecanoe County would rely on Indiana State Department of Health guidance to decide who, beyond frontline health care workers, will get the first shots once what he called a small allotment of the vaccine arrives later in December.

For the rest of the population, the hope is that sometime later in the winter or in the spring well be able to receive enough vaccine to vaccinate the rest of our population, Adler said. Its, of course, a big, big task.

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Adler referenced the county health departments effort to vaccinate roughly 900 Purdue students after a 2016 mumps scare on campus. He said that operation included bringing in volunteer staff, including medical retirees and some from Purdues School of Nursing, to manage the makeshift vaccine clinic at the universitys Co-Rec.

With COVID, Adler said, were talking an entirely different scope.

Box warned that the vaccine will not be a "get out of jail free card." People will need to continue wearing masks, socially distancing, washing their hands and staying home if ill for the foreseeable future.

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Studies have found the Pfizer vaccine to be about 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections. A competitor developed by Moderna, which is expected to receive approval by early next year, has shown similar results.

Both vaccines will require two doses spaced either 21 or 28 days apart, Box said. One dose will not confer immunity.

Because the Pfizer vaccine must be stored in an ultra-cold freezer, at first it will likely only be available at five pilot hospital sites around the state, state health officials have said. Those are Community Hospital in Munster, Clark Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville, Deaconess in Evansville, Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, and Parkview Health in Fort Wayne.

Jeff Houston, Tippecanoe County emergency management coordinator, said the county has lined up use of ultra-cold freezer space through Purdue. Khala Hochstedler said the county health department has freezers that can handle some of COVID-19 vaccine where vaccines for shingles, measles, mumps, and rubella, and chickenpox. Houston said vaccines also will be able to be stored in boxes theyre shipped in by packing it with dry ice to keep it at the proper temperature.

Wednesday Box warned that some people who receive the vaccine may experience side effects such as fever, headache or muscle aches in the days following the shot. These are considered normal and temporary.

"We can be very thankful that we do have vaccines that are showing this kind of efficacy and this kind of safety," Box said.

However, until the vaccine is widely available, the state must get beyond the high number of coronavirus cases it has been seeing on a daily basis, Box said. And short of a vaccine, the only way to do that is to follow the public health advice and wear your mask, social distance and wash your hands.

Reach Dave Bangert at 765-420-5258 or at dbangert@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @davebangert. Contact IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at shari.rudavsky@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter: @srudavsky.

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COVID-19 vaccine: Who will be first when Tippecanoe Co.'s initial doses arrive in December? - Journal & Courier