Knox County is prepping for a COVID-19 vaccine, but most of us won’t get it first – Knoxville News Sentinel

Pfizer and BioNTech released early study results indicating that their vaccine prevented more than 90% of infections with the virus that causes COVID-19. USA TODAY

The Knox County Health Department is gathering supplies and preparing staff to administer the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they're ready, perhaps as soon as the end of the year.

But for almost all of us, don't expect to be among the first to get the shot.

Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Tennessee Department of Health dictate that the vaccine be given to groups based on priority with medical providers and first responders at the front of the line, Health Department Director Dr. Martha Buchanan told the county commission Monday night.

From there, she said, the vaccine will be given to long-term care providers and others who provide services that put them at risk of getting COVID-19. Next up will be people categorized as susceptible because of age or medical conditions.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Children will not be eligible for the first vaccine, Buchanan said, because it has been tested only on adults and children have a higher immunity to the virus.

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The health department has been told to be ready to distribute a vaccine by late November or early December, though theres no guarantee it is ready that quickly. There's been a buzz of anticipation after the drug company Pfizer and its partner, the German company BioNTech announced test results that showed its vaccine was 90% effective in preliminary trials.

Experts do not think the vaccine will be available with the speed and in quantities to do much at all in the next several months to mitigate the pandemic.

Im just being really honest and transparent. I think distribution will go slowly, Buchanan said.

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There were 75 people hospitalized in Knox County with the virus Monday, and 119 people have died here since the pandemic arrived early this year. Most of those deaths have occurred since June 30 the virus has killed 114 people in the past 132 days.

Public health officials are warning the disease is likely to surge again worldwide as winter approaches and people are indoors more often, and as people gather with friends and family for the holidays.

Pfizer is the first drug company to release data from a large, Phase 3 trial as it and several other companies are working to produce a COVID-19 vaccine that is safe and effective.

Like other vaccines, Buchanan said, the health department wont be the only (or largest) distributor. Local hospitals and doctors offices, among others, will administer the treatment as well.

Knox County Health Department Director Dr. Martha Buchanan speaks during a news conference at the City County Building in downtown Knoxville on April 27, 2020.(Photo: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel )

This particular vaccine is expected to come in 975-dose batches, Buchanan said. It is unclear how many batches the county can acquire at one time, but whatever the number is, Buchanan said she doesnt want to hoard supplies that might get better use in other parts of the country.

We will make sure we get adequate supplies based on our demand, but weve also learned from 13 years of in-school vaccinations that vaccine uptake (the percentage of those who agree to get the vaccine) varies and we dont want to waste such valuable resources by having too much on hand and having too much discarding, she said.

The vaccine is expected to require two doses, likely 21-28 days apart, Buchanan said. This gives your immune system a chance to produce antibodies and makes it less likely to get COVID-19, she said.

Pfizers vaccine is unique in that it must be stored at about negative-97-degrees Fahrenheit, requiring either rotating amounts of dry ice or an ultra-cold freezer.

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)

Funding for the supplies needed for this vaccine will come from the $7.1 million in CARES Act funding the county commission allotted the health department earlier this year.

There are other vaccines coming down the pipe and because this one has such rigorous storage requirements that Id imagine when others that are easier to store become available, well get those as well, she said.

So, I dont want to put too much money in the super-cold storage, but I want to have adequate storage so we can meet the demand.

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

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Knox County is prepping for a COVID-19 vaccine, but most of us won't get it first - Knoxville News Sentinel