While health care workers in California received the state’s first doses of the recently approved COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 14, nine pharmaceutical companies are continuing human clinical trials for their vaccines.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved emergency use of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 11. The decision came just a day after its advisory panel unanimously recommended its approval. On Dec. 14, Moderna secured the recommendation of the FDA’s advisory council to approve its COVID-19 vaccine; it is currently awaiting authorization by the FDA.
Santa Barbara County’s Public Health Department is trying to anticipate the local needs for distributing a vaccine, but officials said that plans hinge on further guidance from the federal and state governments.
During a virtual coronavirus briefing on Nov. 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is anticipating getting about 327,000 doses of a vaccine in mid-December. On Dec. 13, 33,150 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport; the first dose was administered to a health care worker at Kaiser Permanente hospital in Los Angeles County the following day.
Newsom said the state is planning to receive an estimated 2.1 million doses by the end of the year.
Gen. Gus Perna, the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed—a government-led effort to move the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines—said in a press conference on Dec. 12 that the group expected 145 sites across the nation to receive the vaccine on Dec. 14. He said a second delivery will be made to 425 sites the following day, and the final shipments to 66 sites will be made Dec. 16.
In Santa Barbara County, Public Information Officer Jackie Ruiz said the Health Department is working closely with the California Department of Public Health and has formed a local Partner COVID Vaccination Workgroup to prepare health care partners to receive and administer a vaccine as soon as it’s available.
The core group consists of individuals from Community Health Clinics of the Central Coast; Cottage Health, Lompoc, and Dignity Health hospitals and clinics; Vandenberg Air Force Base; UC Santa Barbara; first responder representatives; and the county Office of Emergency Management.
During the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting on Dec. 1, Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said the group’s purpose, aside from implementing a phased approach for distributing the vaccine, is to ensure the county’s distribution is equitable. The local plan, Do-Reynoso said, will be based on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) vaccination playbook and California Department of Public Health recommendations.
“It is anticipated that there will be a limited amount of vaccine initially, and this will be prioritized in tiers, with potentially the first for high-risk health care workers, including hospital, skilled nursing, and assisted living workers, and first responders; and the next for individuals at highest risk for developing severe illness, such as residents of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities,” Ruiz said.
The prioritization list is potential because Santa Barbara County, like San Luis Obispo, is awaiting guidance on finalized categories from the CDC and state Department of Public Health.
Whitney Szentesi, the lead public information officer for San Luis Obispo County’s health department, said that the department has been preparing for mass vaccination events for years and managed a successful drive-through flu shot clinic in October to serve as a drill and help it prepare for an eventual COVID-19 vaccine.
In an effort to distribute the future vaccine in a fair, ethical, and transparent way, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine gave input to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which will make recommendations to the CDC director once vaccines are approved for use. The advisory committee is made up of scientists and public health experts who review and create recommendations for all vaccines.
On Dec. 1, the advisory committee approved a recommendation for Phase 1a of a vaccination program: The FDA-authorized vaccine should be given to both health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities. The CDC website states that the recommendation was adopted by the CDC director.
“We are currently working with health care facilities and first responder agencies to get an accurate number of at-risk staff, and residents within facilities, to inform our planning process,” Ruiz said. “This rollout will intentionally focus on those most at risk for being in contact with the virus first.”
Do-Reynoso told Santa Barbara County supervisors that she estimated the county had more than 20,000 health care workers and roughly 1,800 first responders. Santa Barbara County hopes to distribute the vaccine in phases, which can help set community expectations about when residents will have the opportunity to be vaccinated.
Representatives from local hospitals, such as those owned by Dignity Health and Tenet Health Central Coast, said they expect that priority will be given to health care workers involved directly with patient care and those most vulnerable to the virus.
Dignity spokesperson Sara San Juan said that it plans to provide the COVID-19 vaccine at its hospital locations as well as its Dignity Health Urgent Care centers.
“While we are encouraged by the news about the progress of vaccine development, we must remain vigilant and follow CDC guidelines—including wearing a mask and social distancing—to stop the spread of COVID-19,” she said.
Before administering the vaccine, San Juan said, Dignity has assembled a team of infectious disease and immunology experts to review the new vaccine applications and evaluate their safety and efficiency.
“At this time, employees will be encouraged but not required to receive the vaccine. Local, state, and federal agencies may require the vaccination for some health care workers,” she said.
California established a Scientific Safety Review Workgroup to closely monitor all available information about the potential COVID-19 vaccines, including the vaccine trials, the FDA review process, and any independent evaluations.
Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, who specializes in infectious disease for Cottage Health, told the Sun that vaccines have provided a public health solution to so many life-threatening diseases in the past, including smallpox, measles, diphtheria, and so many others.
“This year, vaccines to protect against COVID-19 are likely to be our populations’ exit strategy to escape this pandemic. It’s encouraging to know that vaccine progress has been extraordinary this year,” Fitzgibbons said.
Staff writer Karen Garcia can be reached at kgarcia@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Dec 17-24, 2020.