St. Luke’s, LVHN prepared for first vaccine shipments
Health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities will be the first to get doses
The two largest health networks in the Lehigh Valley are ready to receive the first shipments of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID -19 vaccine and begin vaccinating health care workers and other high-priority individuals this week.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization to the vaccine Friday and the first shipments were sent out over the weekend. Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’ s University Health Network confirmed that they will be among those to receive the vaccine.
Officials with both networks said they would start giving shots to healthcare workers, emergency medical service workers and longterm care facility residents shortly afterward.
Dr. Jeffrey Jahre, infectious disease expert and St. Luke’s senior vice president of medical and academic affairs, said this was a pivotal moment in the fight against COVID-19.
“The world has been waiting for this vaccine, and wear eon the cu sp of being able to provide it,” Jahre said.
Because the supply of vaccine
doses is limited, LVHN and St. Luke’s will receive allotments determined by the Pennsylvania Health Department. The state will receive 97,500 doses as part of this first shipment, according to a Health Department news release.
St. Luke’s spokesperson Sam Kennedy said the health network expects the first shipment to arrive Tuesday or Wednesday and contain at least 5,000 doses. He said they plan to start giving shots Wednesday or Thursday. LVHN spokesperson Brian Downs said they expect the first shipment to arrive this week and will start distributing soon after arrival.
Vials of the vaccine must be stored at temperatures of at least minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit and take about 30 minutes to thaw once removed. Lauren Grantz, director of pharmacy operations for LVHN, said they plan to determine how many doses they need per day so they only unfreeze as many vials as necessary.
Guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices determines who gets the shots first. The top priority groups are health care workers who experience direct and indirect exposure to COVID-19, emergency medical personnel and residents at long-term care facilities like nursing homes.
Dr. Peter Ender, St. Luke’s chief of infectious disease, said even among health care workers there will be flexibility to determine who should be vaccinated in the first days of the rollout. He added these decisions are being made by a committee with multiple areas of expertise.
Once those individuals are fully vaccinated, the next priority group will be essential workers. The last population considered a priority for immunization while doses are still limited are people with medical conditions that put them at high risk for severe complications from COVID-19 and people over 65 years old.
The vaccines will be given to Americans at no cost. Though providers can charge for administrative costs to distribute shots to patients, these fees can be reimbursed to providers by either the patient’s health insurance plan or the Health Resources and Services Administration Relief Fund.
Pfizer’s vaccine and another currently unauthorized C OVID -19 vaccine by Moderna both require two shots — three weeks apart for the Pfizer vaccines and 28 days apart for the Moderna vaccines. Pfizer’s vaccine has been shown to be 52% effective at decreasing risk of getting COVID-19 after the first shot and 95% after the second injection. Moderna has stated previously that its vaccine is 94% effective.
Moderna’s vaccine will be reviewed by the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on Thursday to determine if its benefits outweigh the risks. If Moderna’s vaccine gets a favorable review, the FDA would likely give it emergency use authorization soon after.
Unlike typical vaccines made from viruses, Pfizer and Modern a’ s use messenger RNA to trigger an immune response. The FDA had never approved an mRNA vaccine before it gave emergency authorization to Pfizer’ s, and the FDA and CDC will monitor vaccine safety.
The CDC plans to add a layer of safety monitoring with a smartphone-based system called V-Safe, which will check in with people after they are vaccinated to check for side effects and remind them to get the second shot. The CDC will also monitor vaccine safety with the National Health Care Safety Network and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachael Levine has also issued an order that requires vaccine providers to report information to the department on individuals who are vaccinated. Required information will include gender, race and ethnicity and must be provided within 24 hours of administering the vaccine.