On Monday, biotechnology company Moderna, Inc. announced its leading COVID-19 vaccine candidate was more than 94% effective at preventing illness, becoming the in as many weeks to signal readiness for widespread distribution.
The promising results came amid a fresh wave of virus spread in Colorado and around the country. The spike in cases and hospitalizations has prompted public health officials to tighten capacity restrictions on businesses while heightening the sense of urgency among public health leaders preparing to distribute vaccines.
Ahead of the vaccine鈥檚 arrival, 糖心vlog传媒 has been looking into how the state is preparing to vaccinate millions of Coloradans over the next year. The current plan, which is still evolving, includes coordination between federal and state governments, local public health departments, hospitals, pharmacies and private distributors.
Here are five things to know about Colorado鈥檚 current plans to handle COVID-19 vaccines, when they鈥檙e available:
1. It鈥檚 still unclear when the first doses will arrive.
The companies behind leading vaccine candidates still need to clear the federal government鈥檚 high regulatory hurdles. That could take a while.
Both Pfizer and Moderna say they plan to file for emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration 鈥渨ithin the coming weeks.鈥� Once that happens, they can start shipping doses out to healthcare providers across the country, including in Colorado.
Distribution of Moderna鈥檚 vaccine, which is a part of Operation Warp Speed, will be handled by the CDC and, at the state level, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Pfizer, which is not a part of the program, says it plans to ship doses directly to hospitals.
In a news conference on Nov. 9, Gov. Jared Polis estimated our state could see up to 200,000 doses of vaccine by the end of 2020. That鈥檚 if the regulatory process goes smoothly. Polis said he arrived at the number by comparing the state鈥檚 population size (in proportion to the rest of the country) to initial production estimates from vaccine manufacturers.
2. Not all healthcare facilities are equipped to handle all vaccines.
Pfizer鈥檚 vaccine needs to be kept in extremely cold environments -- at least -70 degrees Celsius, or else it will go bad. That鈥檚 colder than the average temperature at the North Pole.
According to the state鈥檚 , only two large healthcare systems have facilities with enough ultra-cold storage to handle those needs: UCHealth and Kaiser Permanente. The facilities are located in Colorado鈥檚 most populated counties, which leaves out a lot of rural areas of the state.
鈥淭here may not be other facilities outside of the state鈥檚 12 largest counties with high enough throughput to ensure (the Pfizer vaccine) is administered quickly enough given the challenging storage and handling requirements,鈥� the plan reads.
In a statement, a UCHealth spokeswoman confirmed the hospital system was preparing to store and administer Pfizer鈥檚 vaccine along the Front Range.
鈥淭hough we do not know when or how much vaccine we may receive, we are staging the freezers and organizing logistics so we鈥檒l be ready to begin vaccinating certain health care workers and high risk individuals,鈥� the spokeswoman said.
A Kaiser spokesman confirmed the healthcare system was making similar preparations.
The good news is other vaccines, like Moderna鈥檚, don鈥檛 need to be kept as cold as Pfizer鈥檚. That means more healthcare providers can handle them.
鈥淭here are providers in every county of Colorado capable of storing these vaccines,鈥� the state鈥檚 plan reads.
3. Colorado already has a vaccine distribution network.
Colorado has an extensive infrastructure in place for managing vaccines. It鈥檚 called the .
The state uses it for delivering all sorts of vaccines every year, including the flu vaccine.
According to the state鈥檚 plan, the CIIS will serve as a 鈥渂ackbone鈥� for delivering COVID-19 vaccines to the public. That includes everything from ordering, distribution, redistribution, inventory management, administration documentation, safety monitoring and second dose reminders. (Yes, the vaccines require ).
4. Health care workers are first in line.
Once the first shipments of vaccines arrive in Colorado, they鈥檒l be reserved for a select group of health care workers, first responders and high-risk residents of assisted living and nursing home facilities. The state鈥檚 plan refers to this group as 鈥減hase one.鈥�
Around 200 health care providers will take part in vaccinating this group.
As supply increases (likely next spring), Colorado will move into 鈥減hase two鈥� of vaccination, which includes adults living in close quarters and certain essential workers. Examples include college students living in dorms, ski industry workers and people experiencing homelessness.
Anyone who is 65 or older or will get access to the vaccine at this stage as well. More hospitals and pharmacies will be enrolled in the process. People with certain health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease are also lumped in this group.
Finally, when vaccines are readily available, adults 18-64 without high risk health conditions can get vaccinated.
Dr. Eric France, the state鈥檚 chief medical officer, said Coloradans should be patient because later phases likely won鈥檛 come until next spring or summer.
鈥淚 look to the vaccines as a light at the end of the tunnel,鈥� France said. 鈥淏ut for me the tunnel might not be until March, and for many of us, it may be until the spring. So, while we鈥檙e making our way towards the end of the tunnel, we need to be practicing the right behaviors to reduce, as much as we can, this pandemic.鈥�
5. It could take up to a year to reach herd immunity.
Colorado has more than 5 million residents. For the state to reach herd immunity, which would significantly slow the disease鈥檚 spread, well above half of the state鈥檚 population needs to be vaccinated.
That means Colorado鈥檚 public health restrictions, including mask mandates and reduced business capacity will last well through 2021, said Diana Herrero, interim deputy director at CDPHE helping oversee the state鈥檚 distribution plans.
鈥淐OVID is still rapidly expanding in our state,鈥� Herrero said. 鈥淓ven when we start vaccinating, we will still need to do that.鈥�
