Covid-19 vaccine information and updates
On December 11, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older. The dosing regimen is two doses of 0.3 mL each, 3 weeks apart.
Ohio’s first vaccine doses were administered to frontline healthcare workers from the University of Cincinnati and The Ohio State University. Shipments of the vaccine are being distributed all over America. Ohio and Connecticut are expected to begin vaccinations in facilities Friday, December 18th, with 1,100 facilities around the country set to begin Monday, December 21st. Pfizer has stated that “the known and potential benefits of Pfizer when used to prevent COVID-19 outweigh its known and potential risks.”
On December 18, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Moderna Vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) 2) in individuals 18 years of age and older. The dosing regimen is two doses of 0.5mL each, given 28 days apart.
Moderna and Pfizer differ in their storage capabilites which has made Pfizer a bit more difficult to store and more expensive. Moderna can be stored at -20 degrees C (regular freezer temps) while the Pfizer Vaccine needs to be stored at -70 degrees C (colder than Antartica).
There are no data available on the interchangeability of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine with other COVID-19 vaccines to complete the vaccination series. Individuals who have received one dose of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine should receive a second dose of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to complete the vaccination series.
Shipments of the Moderna vaccine are being distributed all over America with a supposed 20 million doses to be distributed across America by the end of December. Ohio received their first shipment of the vaccine on Monday, December 21st.
Sources:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccine-latest-updates-12-16-2020-11608142583 https://www.cleveland19.com/2020/12/14/gov-dewine-delivers-remarks-ohios-vaccine-distribution/ https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/11/17/935563377/why-does-pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-need-to-be-kept-colder-than-antarctica https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-announces-fda-authorization-moderna-covid-19-vaccine-us
Ohio has received approximately 100,000 vaccines of the expected 530,000 doses allocated to Ohio by the year’s end. 94,078 Ohioans have received their first vaccine dosage as of 12/30. Keep up to date with Ohio’s vaccine administration here.
Governor DeWine recently announced that Phase 1B of Ohio’s vaccine distribution plan would include teachers and school staff, in order to open schools by March 1st.
Ohio is currently in Phase 1A of vaccine distribution. Health care workers and personnel who are routinely involved with the care of COVID-19 patients; residents and staff at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and Ohio veterans’ homes, patients and staff at state psychiatric hospitals; people with developmental disabilities or mental health disorders living in group homes or residential facilities along with the staff at these locations; and EMS responders are amongst those who are prioritized to receive the vaccine first.
We will continue to update this page as more information is released.
Citations:
https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination-program