As COVID-19 vaccine approval nears, SC health officials prepare for distribution
As drug companies near federal approval on COVID-19 vaccines, South Carolina health officials are taking steps to prepare to distribute and administer vaccines across the state.
State Department of Health and Environmental Control officials told reporters Wednesday they are working to enroll health care companies as vaccine providers and ensure that the state is prepared to store any vaccine that may be approved in the coming weeks.
Two drug companies — Pfizer and Moderna — will seek approval for their vaccines from the FDA in the coming weeks. That approval could come as soon as December.
“We consider this very encouraging news,” State Epidemiologist Linda Bell said.
Preliminary data showed that Pfizer’s vaccine was 95% effective, and Moderna’s is about 94% effective.
If authorized by the FDA, Pfizer will be able to produce enough vaccines for about 12.5 million Americans by the end of the year. Many Americans will be able to receive the vaccine for free thanks to a $1.95 billion deal between the federal government and Pfizer for 100 million doses, the New York Times reported.
Moderna expects to have about 20 million doses available for the U.S. by the end of the year. In August, the company said it was charging between $32 and $37 per dose, but it has said it was discussing lower prices for large volume agreements.
State health officials sought to assure South Carolinians that the vaccines, once available, will be safe.
“These vaccines have gone through the testing and the studies that are no different than any other vaccines,” Bell said.
One of the biggest issues the state will face when it comes to the vaccine is being able to store it, health officials said.
Both the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccine need to be stored at extremely cold temperatures — Pfizer’s needs to be kept at minus 80 degrees Celsius and the Moderna vaccine must be frozen at minus 20 degrees Celsius. Most vaccine administrators do not have the proper equipment to store those vaccines for long periods of time, Bell said.
Even with the correct storage equipment, neither vaccine can be kept refrigerated for very long, DHEC’s immunization program manager Stephen White said. Moderna’s vaccine can be stored for 30 days, and the Pfizer vaccine can be kept in the company’s shipper for up to 15 days if the dry ice keeping the vaccine cool is replaced every five days, White added.
DHEC is also working to enroll more vaccine providers, so they can be approved to distribute it once it’s available. As of Wednesday, 175 organizations are in some stage of enrollment across the state, White said.
Not all vaccine administrators will give out the vaccine at once, White added. They will give out the vaccine as needed to serve whatever population is scheduled to get it.
Who will be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
While vaccine approval is still some weeks off, members of the general public will not be able to receive doses any time soon, health officials said.
DHEC is still finalizing its distribution plan, but when the initial doses are distributed, they will go to “critical populations” like health care workers first, White said. During the second distribution phase, the vaccine will be available more generally to the public, though the number of doses available are expected to still be limited. In the final phase, the supply is expected to be more established, and anyone will be able to get the vaccine.
“The availability of the vaccine for the general public is really several months from now,” Bell said.
DHEC is still discussing when they will be providing the vaccine to nursing home residents, but it will likely be in stage one, Bell said.
Bell said DHEC is committed to “fair and equitable distribution” of the vaccine, but she stressed that for months, only a limited supply would be available. She added that no vaccine will be distributed unless it has undergone “rigorous scientific testing that is required in all vaccine development.”
DHEC will not require anyone to get the vaccine, Assistant State Epidemiologist Jane Kelly said.
What should you do until you can get vaccinated?
Bell stressed that South Carolinians must continue to practice coronavirus safety precautions until the vaccine is available for the general public. That includes social distancing, practicing good hygiene and wearing a mask. She also said people should continue to avoid group gatherings, including in a home setting.
“When vaccine doses begin to become available in limited supplies and they’re indicated for certain populations, it still leaves the population as a whole at risk,” Bell said.
Widespread use of the vaccine must occur for the vaccine to effectively curb the spread of the coronavirus, with upwards of 90% of the population vaccinated, Bell said.
“The faster that we can get the population covered, the more quickly we can move forward to … more normalized activity,” Bell said.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 11:59 AM.
