On Tuesday, December 15, San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH) and the regional distribution site received the first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Southwest Colorado.
The agency worked with the National Guard and local health care partners to transport the vaccine to facilities identified as “Phase 1A” providers in the state’s COVID-19 vaccine plan.
Yesterday, health care facilities began administering the vaccines to their frontline staff. Individuals in phase 1A include high-risk health care workers who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients, and long-term care facility staff and residents.
The first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine will not be enough to vaccinate all those in the 1A category. A shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive soon, possibly as early as next week. A Food and Drug Administration panel is meeting this morning, Thursday, to vote on whether to recommend the approval of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use.
Once distribution to all individuals in Phase 1A is complete, and as more vaccine becomes available, distribution to phases 1B, 2, and 3 will follow subsequently.
It is expected that the initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines will be very limited for several months. This means that a vaccine will not be immediately available to everyone who wants one. The phased approach to vaccine distribution was developed to be as equitable and efficient with distribution as possible, with the goal of saving lives by vaccinating people who are most likely to get COVID-19 infections.
“SJBPH’s goal has always been to keep everyone in Archuleta and La Plata counties safe and healthy, and that is especially true in this challenging time,” said Liane Jollon, SJBPH executive director.
“We are excited to be receiving this first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine prioritized for high-risk healthcare workers so we can get vaccine started with those who need it most.”
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), in close collaboration with local public health agencies across the state, identified 24 locations with ultra low temperature freezers to receive the first shipment of an ultra-cold vaccine. CDPHE has purchased and distributed an additional 10 ultra low temperature freezers.
The identified locations across the state were chosen for their unique abilities to store, monitor, and handle vaccines in ultra-cold temperatures (-60°C to -80°C) as well as their willingness to redistribute COVID-19 vaccines to other Phase 1 providers in their regions. The state considered equitable geographic distribution as well as transportation logistics given expected winter conditions in the coming months.
“Equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine will move us in the right direction to contain the virus,” said Ms. Jollon. “One way we can keep each other healthy, support our health care workers, and get communities back on their feet, is to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the vaccine becomes available. When we get vaccinated, we can slow the surge to help our nurses, doctors, schools, fellow community members, and businesses…”
SJBPH reminds everyone to continue to be vigilant as we wait for COVID-19 vaccine to become more available.
For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine see: https://sjbpublichealth.org/covid-19-vaccine/