Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
“A vaccine is the only way out of this pandemic,” these words, spoken by NDSU’s Dr. Paul Carson at the North Dakota Department of Health press conference held on Wednesday, December 2, serve as a light at the end of the tunnel.
Since March 13, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and all the associated regulations and guidelines have been an unwavering part of life for Americans. Now, the promise of a vaccine has the North Dakota Department of Health preparing a COVID-19 vaccination plan, which is available at https://www.health.nd.gov/covid-19-vaccine-information.
Two vaccines will be reviewed for approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the coming days.
If all goes well, on December 10, the COVID-19 vaccine produced by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer will be available to ship within 24 hours. The FDA is scheduled to review a second vaccine, this one produced by Moderna, which could ship as early as the week of December 20. If these vaccines are to be approved, it would be done so under the Emergency Use Authorization of the FDA, thus facilitating an expedited response, and ultimately reducing the number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths.
During the press conference, North Dakota’s Immunization Program Manager Molly Howell provided a breakdown of how the state plans to administer the vaccine. She explained that the state’s vaccination plan prioritizes health care workers and long-term care residents.
Prioritized workers must work in a health care setting and have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to COVID-19. This includes critical care staff and physicians, ER staff and physicians, infectious disease physicians, primary care nurses and physicians, emergency medical personnel, laboratory staff and COVID-19 vaccinators. Other healthcare workers will be prioritized within the first phase of vaccination.
The second phase of vaccinations are expected to include essential infrastructure workers such as those employed in law enforcement and public education. In addition, it is expected the second phase will include members of the public age 65 and older, those who are high-risk due to underlying conditions, and those who live in congregate settings.
Folks who don’t fall into any of these prioritized populations will likely have to wait until the spring or summer of 2021 for their vaccination.
The Pfizer vaccine will require two doses, administered three weeks apart. It has shown 95% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 infections. The Moderna vaccine has a comparable efficacy rate and also requires two doses, two weeks apart. Some minor short term side effects have been documented in the trials, including fever, fatigue and headache.
While we wait for the vaccine to become available, we encourage you to enjoy the holidays. Shop local. Connect virtually, wear a mask around others, stay safe, and above all else, care for one another.
