As the state expects vaccines to start being distributed in mid-December, many are left wondering who will get the vaccine first and how many doses will be given to the state?
The number of vaccinations distributed in Connecticut, along with when they will be distributed, are listed in the chart below.
It is predicted that during the week of Dec. 14, 31,000 vaccines will be distributed.
The following week, an additional 94,000 vaccines will be given out. During the week of Dec. 28, an additional 51,000 vaccinations will be distributed.
In the weeks leading up to January 2021, a total of 176,000 COVID-19 vaccinations will be distributed, Gov. Ned Lamont said during a press conference on Thursday. Starting in January, 51,000 vaccinations are expected to be distributed each week and by the end of January, a total of 380,000 first-time vaccinations are expected to have been given out.
Second doses of vaccines will not be available until the beginning of 2021, according to Lamont. By the end of January, 212,000 second-dose vaccinations will be distributed in the state.
These numbers are subject to change.Pfizer is now expected to ship half of the COVID-19 vaccine doses for this year than it had previously plannedafter finding raw materials in early production that didn't meet its standard, Dow Jones reported.
The first people to receive COVID-19 vaccinations will be healthcare workers, nursing home residents, and medical first responders.
Vaccines to these groups will be given in phase 1a. This phase will be effective from the start of vaccine distribution through mid-January, the governor said.
As of now, a total of 204,000 vaccines will be distributed to healthcare workers, nursing home residents will be given 22,000 total vaccines, and medical first responders will get 6,000 vaccines during phase 1a.
"We are looking to get our doses to the nursing homes at the earliest possible time," Acting Commissioner of the Department of Public Health Deidre Gifford said during Thursday's press conference.
The governor said phase 1b will represent critical workforce and other congregate settings, adults over 65, and those who are high-risk under the age of 65. People who fall under this group will be able to get vaccinated from mid-January to late May.
Those under 18 years old and the remaining population will fall under phase 2 of vaccine distribution. People who fall under this category will be capable of being vaccinated in early June, Lamont said.
Peter J. Pitts, a former Food and Drug Administration associate commissioner, and current president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest joined NBCLX and debunked many of the fears people have expressed about taking a COVID-19 vaccine.
A flu vaccine is administered at a walk-up COVID-19 testing sit in San Fernando, Calif. A COVID-19 vaccine could soon win emergency use authorization from the FDA. Robyn Beck /AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A flu vaccine is administered at a walk-up COVID-19 testing sit in San Fernando, Calif. A COVID-19 vaccine could soon win emergency use authorization from the FDA.
Two COVID-19 vaccines are moving toward an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, and both have been found to be more than 94% effective. Yet despite progress on the vaccine front, misinformation continues to spread, fueling doubts among skeptics who may decide not to take the vaccine at all.
Heidi Larson, the director of the Vaccine Confidence Project and author of the book Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start and Why They Don't Go Away, has seen this before. As an anthropologist who has spent years traveling the globe studying vaccine misinformation, she says "any news about vaccines always raises questions."
"One of the things I've learned is [to] never assume what's in the minds of people and the reasons that people question or refuse vaccines," Larson said in an interview with NPR's All Things Considered on Wednesday.
There are any number of factors that feed into distrust around vaccines, says Larson. For example, fear that freedom of choice is being restricted.
"That's something that has resurged in a big way in the context of COVID," she said. Wanting choice is "understandable," she said, but it sits on the line "between individual rights and public health rights."
Some people might believe a vaccine is "not natural," while others fear the "newness."
"For something new and unfamiliar, particularly in this hyper uncertain environment where every day you wake up and you're not sure what the guidance is going to be, that creates anxiety," she said.
Larson spoke with All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly about what's driving this anxiety, why the speed of the development process for a COVID-19 vaccine should not be taken to mean its unsafe and how she counsels talking to someone who is hesitant about vaccination.
On the message she wants people to hear about the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine
I think the message I'd like them to hear is the shortness of the vaccine development process, it's not the safety that has been compromised or shortened. There are many steps in the process of development, and in this case we had new funding mechanisms that made it possible to start quicker. We've shortened some of the administrative processes. We have new technologies, but the steps involving safety have not been shortened. They have not been compromised. And no vaccine will be delivered to the public before it really has enough confidence. And most importantly on the safety, no company wants a bad vaccine. No government wants a bad vaccine. No individual wants a bad vaccine. It's not in anyone's interest.
On how to have a conversation with someone who is hesitant about getting a COVID-19 vaccine
The most important thing is to hear them out, to listen. You may not agree with them, but I think that one of the reasons that I see that the anti- and questioning and skeptical voices have gotten louder is they feel like they've been shut down when they tried to express a concern or have their view. And it has kind of hardened the views because people feel cut out. And I think just listening and saying, "OK, I understand your side."
I always try to find some point where we can agree. Find some common ground. And there's usually something. It's very rare you don't find something you could talk about and start the conversation in a place you agree.
Kat Lonsdorf and Courtney Dorning produced and edited the audio version of this story.
As world leaders gather virtually at the Special Session of the General Assembly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, new data published today finds that leaving low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs) without access to vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic will cause significant economic damage that puts decades of economic progress at risk for both LLMICs and advanced economies alike.
The report by the Eurasia Group analyses ten major economies Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States to assess the economic benefits to advanced economies of contributing to the work of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.
The ACT Accelerator, led by WHO and partnering with the worlds leading international health organizations, is a unique global collaboration which supports the development and equitable distribution of the tests, treatments and vaccines the world needs to fight COVID-19. However, the programme still has a significant funding gap of US$ 28.2 billion with US$ 4.3 billion needed urgently to fast-track critical areas of work. If that shortfall isnt met, low- and low-middle income countries will have delayed access to these vital tools in 2021, which will result in a protracted pandemic, with severe economic consequences, not just for these countries by also for the wider global economy.
The report, which was commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, finds that the economic benefits of a global equitable vaccine solution alone for the 10 countries included in the analysis would be at least US$ 153 billion in 2020-21, rising to US$ 466 billion by 2025. This is more than 12 times the US$ 38 billion estimated total cost of the ACT Accelerator. This figure was compiled using the expected negative effects of sustained coronavirus outbreaks in LLMICs, based on the downside and baseline scenarios of the IMFs October 2020 World Economic Outlook forecasts.
So far, the 10 countries featured in the report have contributed $2.4 billion to the work of the ACT Accelerator, with the United Kingdom committing just over US$ 1 billion, and Germany, Canada, Japan and France committing US$ 618 million, US$ 290 million, US$ 229 million and US$ 147 million respectively.
In just seven months, the ACT Accelerators progress has been significant: over 50 diagnostic tests have been evaluated and new rapid antigen diagnostics have been developed and being made available for LMICs; life-saving Dexamethasone treatments are being rolled out, research into monoclonal antibody treatments is advancing; and through the Health Systems Connector, the health system requirements for delivery of COVID-19 tools have been mapped in 4 out of 6 world regions.
COVAX, the Vaccines Pillar of the ACT Accelerator, has the worlds largest and most diverse portfolio of vaccines. It aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every participating country. Working with 189 countries, COVAX is supporting the development of 9 vaccine candidates through CEPI, 8 of which are in clinical trials. COVAX has secured hundreds of millions of doses of three promising candidates, including at least 200 million doses for LICs, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This new report emphasizes the funding urgency and the return on investment for donor countries of the work of the ACT Accelerator, which published its Urgent Priorities and Financing Requirements on 10 November.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, called on countries to commit to the work of the ACT Accelerator, stating that, The ACT Accelerator is the global solution to ending the acute phase of the pandemic as quickly as possible by ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 tools. Contributing to the ACT Accelerator it is not just the right thing to do its the smart thing for all countries socially, economically and politically.
Alexander Kazan, Managing Director for Global Strategy at Eurasia Group and one of the authors of the report said, There is a clear humanitarian and ethical case for supporting the ACT Accelerator and the Covax facility, along with the obvious economic gains it would bring to developing countries; doing nothing risks reversing years if not decades of economic progress. But our analysis shows that the program is likely to yield economic and other returns for major donor countries as well. The ACT Accelerator is a unique opportunity to save lives, repair the global economy, and build diplomatic capital that will last a generation.
Hassan Damluji, Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, commenting on the reports findings said, The moral case for an equitable global solution to the COVID-19 crisis has always been clear, but with high-income countries reeling from a huge shock, their governments are increasingly focusing on investments that can help their own economies to rebound. This report adds to the body of evidence that shows that the ACT Accelerator is precisely one of those investments. It is both the right thing to do, and an investment that will pay dividends by bringing the global economy back from the brink, benefiting all nations.
Eurasia Group is the world's leading global political risk research and consulting firm. By providing information and insight on how political developments move markets, we help clients anticipate and respond to instability and opportunities everywhere they invest or do business. Our expertise includes developed and developing countries in every region of the world, specific economic sectors, and the business and investment playing fields of the future. With our best-in-class advisory and consulting offerings and GZERO Media, the Eurasia Group umbrella provides the marketplace with a complete political risk solution. Headquartered in New York, we have offices in Washington DC, London, San Francisco, Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Singapore, and Tokyo, as well as on-the-ground experts and resources in more than a hundred countries. "Politics first grounds our work: Politics is the lens through which we view the world, and we are committed to analysis that is free of political bias and the influence of private interests.
The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT Accelerator), is the proven, up-and-running global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. It was set up in response to a call from G20 leaders in March and launched by the WHO, European Commission, France and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020.
The ACT Accelerator is not a decision-making body or a new organization, but works to speed up collaborative efforts among existing organizations to end the pandemic. It is a framework for collaboration that has been designed to bring key players around the table with the goal of ending the pandemic as quickly as possible through the accelerated development, equitable allocation, and scaled up delivery of tests, treatments and vaccines, thereby protecting health systems and restoring societies and economies in the near term. It draws on the experience of leading global health organizations which are tackling the worlds toughest health challenges, and who, by working together, are able to unlock new and more ambitious results against COVID-19. Its members share a commitment to ensure all people have access to all the tools needed to defeat COVID-19 and to work with unprecedented levels of partnership to achieve it.
The diagnosticspillar, co-convened by the Global Fund and FIND is focused on bringing to market 23 high-quality rapid tests, training 10,000 healthcare professionals across 50 countries and establishing testing for 500 million people in Low and Middle-Income countries by mid-2021.
The therapeutics pillar is led by Unitaid and Wellcome. Therapeutics can play a role in all stages of COVID-19 disease: to prevent infection; suppress symptoms and spread of infection to others; treat or prevent symptoms; as a life-saving treatment for severe symptoms; and as a treatment that can speed up recovery. The aim in the next 12 months is to develop, manufacture and distribute 245 million treatments, helping COVID-19 sufferers to recover from the disease.
The COVAX vaccinespillar, convened by CEPI, Gavi and WHO,is speeding up the search for an effective vaccine for all countries. At the same time, it is supporting the building of manufacturing capabilities, and buying supply, ahead of time so that 2 billion doses can befairly distributed by the end of 2021.
The health systems connector, led by the WHO, World Bank and the Global Fund,is working to ensure that these tools can reach the people who need them.
Cross-cutting all of these is the workstream on Access & Allocation, hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Gov. DeWine says 98,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine coming to Ohio, more information to come Friday Cleveland 19 News
Well be working to immunize long-term care facility residents/workers and health care workers, as determined by state governments, Brown said. With our nationwide presence, extensive vaccine experience and trusted community pharmacists, we are confident that we can help accelerate availability of COVID-19 vaccines nationwide.
Thermo King once kept food fresh for troops during World War II. Now, it will rise to the challenge to refrigerate COVID-19 vaccines.
Shortly before World War II, Minnesota-based U.S. Thermo Control Company introduced the revolutionary concept of transport refrigeration to the world, allowing trucks to haul frozen foods and perishables to every corner of the United States.
The company, co-founded by renowned inventor Frederick McKinley Jones and businessman Joseph Numero, helped store items at controlled temperatures as they crossed through mountain blizzards and desert heat, according to a May 1950 article in the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune.During the war, these refrigeration units kept food fresh on island bases and dropped into steaming jungle with parachute troops.
Eight decades later, U.S. Thermo Control Company still exists under the name Thermo King, and proudly claims Bloomington, Minnesota, as the site of its headquarters.
And just as the companys refrigeration products helped the United States defeat the Axis powers, Thermo King will help the country distribute COVID-19 vaccines over the next several months, to hopefully conquer a pandemic that has claimed more than 270,000 American lives.
We take pride in being a part of this, being the company that invented this space in terms of refrigeration, Vice President of Sales Dwayne Cowan said, and now being part of this solution that will safeguard people.
Thermo King, a subsidiary of Trane Technologies, will protect the livelihood of the various COVID-19 vaccines through a process known as the cold chain. As federal and state governments coordinate the rollout in late 2020 and early 2021, the companys products will keep doses at ice-cold temperatures as they travel to destinations by air, rail or truck.
The Thermo King SuperFreezer, for example, can store goods at temperatures as low as -70 degrees Celsius. Remarkably, the product was originally designed to ship sashimi-grade tuna.
That number minus-70 is important, because its the same temperature that Pfizer needs to store its vaccine. Moderna, the other company applying for FDA authorization in the U.S., requires a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius for its own vaccine.
Vaccines have to stay at a specific temperature, so that they maintain their strength and potency, and are still good when they go into someones arm, said Julie Swann, a distinguished professor at North Carolina State University and a supply chain expert who advised the CDCs response to swine flu. Public health systems will be partnering with private industry on various solutions in the cold chain, everything from specialty freezers to dry ice, to perhaps mobile fans. These partnerships are really helpful to making sure the vaccine gets to where it needs to go, and stays at the appropriate temperature.
According to Swann, the variation in temperatures for storage may play a role in vaccine distribution. With more specialty freezers available in densely-population areas (particularly those with research universities nearby), the Pfizer vaccine and its -70 degree Celsius requirement might skew toward cities. The Moderna vaccine, on the other hand, may be more appropriate for rural areas because it doesnt need to stay quite as cold.
If both vaccines have good safety and efficacy, that may be okay, Swann said. If there are differences, then we may be worried about inequities across the system.
The cold chain is not a new concept for companies like Thermo King, but the COVID-19 vaccine may present unprecedented challenges.
Cowan, the Vice President of Sales, called the benchmark of -70 degrees Celsius "unordinary".
When you start seeing the different temperatures required to haul, and the amount 12 billion to 15 billion vaccines across the world that will need to be transported, Cowan said, we knew we would have to play a role in supporting.
Its a role the original founders would applaud especially Frederick McKinley Jones, known to history as the King of Cool.
Transport refrigeration was started in Minneapolis in 1938. Frederick McKinley Jones has the patent, an African-American in Minnesota, homegrown, Cowan said. Were very proud of our start in creating the industry in Minnesota, and now what were doing to support the transportation of this vaccine.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday the state's initial 109,000-dose COVID-19 vaccine allotment will actually go to that many residents instead of half that amount as originally planned.
"In contrast to something that I said yesterday, we will not need to divide the number of doses that we receive in two, holding back half of them to give as the second dose for each person," Pritzker said Wednesday. "We don't have to hold back because of the speed at which we will be receiving vaccines."
The news came as the state reported 238 more deaths from the respiratory disease Monday, along with 9,757 new cases.
Wednesday's death figures are the most the state has reported in a single day. The spike is due to underreporting from county agencies during the four-day Thanksgiving holiday, Illinois Department of Public Health officials said.
In all, 60 of the state's 102 counties reported COVID-19 deaths Wednesday.
That brings the state's death toll to 12,639 since the outbreak began. There have been a total of 748,603 residents infected during the pandemic.
Pritzker said the state expects to receive the first batch of vaccine vials from Pfizer sometime between Dec. 13 and Dec. 19. The vaccine requires two injections given 21 to 28 days apart to be effective.
Hospital employees, along with residents and workers at congregate care facilities, will be first in line for the vaccines, he said.
"The recommendation, which came yesterday, is to include in the same category the congregate care facility, long-term care facility, residents and the workers there, with health care workers in hospitals, so they'll get it simultaneously as the doses come in," he added.
Earlier in the day, national and state leaders in the long-term care industry urged governors throughout the country to prioritize nursing home residents and staff in the vaccination process, as those individuals have borne the brunt of the disease's effects.
In Illinois, nearly 48% of the state's deaths have been residents of long-term, congregate care facilities.
"Given the asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread of this virus, combined with the explosion of community spread across the U.S., we are extremely hopeful this vaccine will literally be a lifesaver for thousands of residents and expedite the reopening of our facilities to family members and loved ones," said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. "The long-term care industry, including nursing homes and assisted living communities, now call on governors from all 50 states to ensure long-term care residents and staff are the first group to receive the vaccine within this initial phase."
The Pfizer vaccine is fairly temperamental and requires special storage requirements of nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. The vaccine will be directly delivered to providers in special containers with 975 vials, with each vial containing five doses. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vials will be thawed and diluted with an inert substance to reduce the viscosity of the vaccine before being injected into a patient.
The new vaccine details come as the state's infection rate climbed for the second consecutive day. With the new cases added Wednesday, the state's seven-day average infection rate stands at 10.6%.
Meanwhile, hospitals throughout the state reported treating 5,764 COVID-19 patients Tuesday, down 71 patients from Monday. However, health officials believe the decline in patients is a temporary one.
Pritzker announced Monday that no region of the state would have mitigation restrictions reduced for several weeks out of fear of another resurgence due to many who ignored warnings about Thanksgiving travel and gatherings.
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC)- With two vaccine candidates now seeking federal approval, health officials say distribution in Virginia could start by the middle of December.
On Monday, Moderna became the second vaccine maker to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for regulatory clearance after a clinical trail found their immunization was 94 percent effective at preventing COVID-19. Pfizer was the first to request an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
If either candidate is approved, it would give them the greenlight to ramp up production for a widespread vaccination campaign.
The Virginia Department of Health said 70,000 doses are expected initiallya share that is based on the states population size rather than relative need. State Epidemiologist Dr. Lilian Peake told lawmakers in a virtual briefing on Monday that Virginia will get less than 3 percent of the first batch because of this federal criteria.
Peake said the state is still waiting for a CDC advisory group to release recommendations on who should be prioritized first. She said healthcare workers are likely to be at the top of the list, followed by residents at long-term care facilities and others with high-risk health conditions.
Early on, there likely wouldnt be enough for all healthcare workers so that will need to be broken down into subgroups and were still working with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) to determine that, Peake said. The level to which its broken down is going to depend on how much vaccine we have and we dont know that yet.
Right now, Peake said officials are focused on getting those first doses out fast by pre-positioning some ahead of FDA approval. She said the state has identified 16 facilities and health systems that can store the Pfizer vaccine in ultra-cold conditionssomething Modernas immunization doesnt require.
During Mondays hearing, multiple members of the House Health Welfare and Institutions Committee questioned Peake about the possibility of a vaccine mandate.
My understanding is that is not something that is being considered at this time, Peake responded.
Peake was also asked about a possible requirement for public schools. She said this has yet to be deliberated because the vaccines that are currently up for approval still havent been studied in children. She said thats typical for this stage of development.
Those studies still have to be done before the vaccine would be recommendation for children so thats one reason why we havent started that planning yet around school vaccinations, Peake said.
In an interview with 8News on Monday, Gov. Ralph Northam tried to reassure Virginians whore concerned about possible side effects.
One of the issues that we know is going to be present as we move forward is trust, Northam said. We want to make sure we work with local leaders, our faith leaders and talk about how this vaccination is safe and effective.
Peake said its too soon to say when herd immunity could be reached in the commonwealth but ramping up vaccine production is expected to take several months.
Northam hopes the general public will have the opportunity to be vaccinated by the summer of 2021.
My message to Virginians is that there is hope for all of us, there is light at the end of the tunnel but there is still going to be a couple of months where we will have to remain vigilant and follow the guidelines, Northam said.
Northam announced $22 million in federal CARES Act funding to support mass vaccination planning through 2020 but its still unclear how the state will fund the rest of whats expected to be a $120 million effort overall.
In an email to 8News, Virginia Department of Health Public Relations Coordinator Tammie Smith said theyre expecting Congress to allocate additional funding in its next relief package but Virginia is prepared to use state resources if all else fails.
In the special session, the General Assembly passed a revised budget that directs the Virginia Department of Health to make a plan for the equitable distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine once one becomes available. The first report on that plans progress is due to the General Assembly on Tuesday.
When scientific information moves quickly and continues to evolve, how are we co-responsible for amplifying the appropriate message? We all have a role in ensuring high-quality research is distributed to public health professionals and the general public. Scientists have contributed to and helped mitigate the risks of our current infodemic.
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