US vaccine rollout begins as virus toll nears 300,000

Health care workers and nursing home residents first in line

The first of many freezerpacked Covid-19 vaccine vials made their way to distribution sites across the United States yesterday, as the nation’s pandemic deaths approached the horrifying new milestone of 300,000.

The rollout of the Pfizer vaccine, the first to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, ushers in the biggest vaccination effort in US history — one that health officials hope the American public will embrace, even as some have voiced initial scepticism or worry. The first of two shots are expected to be given in the coming week to health care workers and nursing home residents.

Quick transport is key for the vaccine, especially since this one must be stored at extremely low temperatures — about -70C. Yesterday, workers at Pfizer — dressed in fluorescent yellow clothing, hard hats and gloves — wasted no time as they packed vials into boxes. They

scanned the packages and then placed them into freezer cases with dry ice. The vaccines were then taken from Pfizer’s Portage, Michigan, facility to Gerald Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, where the first cargo plane took off amid what airport officials called a “jubilant” mood.

“This is a historic day,” said Richard Smith, who oversees operations in the Americas for Fedex Express, which is delivering 630 packages of vaccine to distribution sites across the country. The United Parcel Ser

vice also is transporting a share of the vaccine.

Tracked with Gps-enabled sensors, the initial shipments were expected to contain about 3 million doses, with many more to come. Federal officials say the first shipments of Pfizer’s vaccine will be staggered, arriving in 145 distribution centres today, with another 425 sites getting shipments on Wednesday, and the remaining 66 on Thursday. Doses of the vaccine, co-developed by German partner Biontech, are given out based on each state’s adult population. Then the where they go first.

In California, where health care workers will be among the first to be vaccinated, state health officials are prioritising hospitals that have adequate storage capacity, serve highrisk populations and that have the ability to vaccinate people quickly.

Initial surveys have found that even some health care workers don’t want to be first in line.

Dr Graham Snyder, who’s led the vaccine task force at Pennsylvania health care giant UPMC, estimates that about half of its employees are willing to get the vaccine as soon as it’s offered.

But many health officials expect enthusiasm to grow.

“There’s that thought that maybe they don’t have to be so afraid to come to work if they can be vaccinated and be immune,” said Dr Sandra Kemmerly, medical director of hospital quality at the 40-hospital Oschner Health System in Louisiana and Mississippi. Employees approved for the first round are getting texts and emails directing them to schedule their initial injection, she said.

Enough vaccine is being saved so that each person who gets the first dose of vaccine can get a second shot a few weeks later. — AP

states decide