Here's an email (slightly edited) I received from my doctor yesterday about current vaccine status in Washington state:
We know all of you have questions about Covid-19 vaccination and we hope this email provides helpful information and perspective.
You have no doubt heard exciting news regarding highly effective (95%) Covid-19 vaccinations from manufacturers including Pfizer and BioNTech (granted FDA "emergency use authorization" (EUA) status on December 10th) and Moderna (likely to apply for EUA status soon). Both are thought to be very safe (short term side effects of fatigue, injection site soreness, headaches and low-grade fever reported). We strongly support you receive a vaccination when it becomes available.
There are understandable questions about how the distribution will proceed. Washington State will receive its first allotment in mid-December and the second in late December, but the distribution schedule has not been finalized by the state or the local Departments of Health. However, as far as we can tell, it is likely to follow a timeline similar to the CDC recommendations, as outlined below (although of course, this is an uncertain and dynamic process with numerous complexities that may delay availability).
FIRST PHASE:
Tier 1A (beginning mid-December through late January): healthcare workers and first responders such as police officers, firefighters, EMTs and others.
Tier 1B (beginning late December to mid-January): people living in nursing homes
Tier 1C (beginning early February through April): people over 65 years of age and people of all ages with co-morbid medical conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease) that place them at moderately-significantly higher risk (see link below, excepting pregnant women and children under the age of 16, in whom the vaccine has not yet been studied).
SECOND PHASE:
(Beginning early April): “essential workers” including teachers and childcare workers; and those in other critical roles whereby working from home is not an option.
THIRD PHASE:
(Beginning early May and into Summer): all other adults.
For those who have already had COVID-19, there will likely be a recommendation that you receive a vaccination as well, although timing has not yet been determined. Until then, you should have some protective immunity as a result of your prior illness.
Given that there will be very limited allocations to Washington State initially, it is still uncertain when it will be available in private clinics but we have applied to be an official distribution center--we will let you as soon as vaccinations are available at SMA or any other locations, such as hospitals, pharmacies, etc. We realize that there are likely to be many questions over the coming weeks and months and we will do our best to keep you informed of the latest developments.
You may rest assured that we remain your advocates in navigating this process successfully.
As always, we hope you remain safe and well during the holiday season.
RESOURCES:
“High-Risk Medical Conditions”:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...onditions.html
Allocation Phases:
https://www.nap.edu/resource/25917/F...20COVID-19.pdf
Washington State Department of Health, Allocation Planning:
https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/Vaccine
Lake County, Illinois, is allowing us to register for the vaccine.
https://allvax.lakecohealth.org/s/?language=en_US
I heard it wasn't going to be general release until June? Though really, if high-risk populations are inoculated, then that resolves almost all of the problem.
Due to my age and health (40s, not overweight**) I'm lucky if I'll get the vaccine before August. Given the population in FL that's over 65, there's just going to be too many people ahead of me in the queue.
**I read an article that said that overweight people should be prioritized because of the complications with COVID.
^ Yeah you need a BMI of 30 and up, clinically “obese.”
Which isn’t as overweight as people think.
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/as...alculator.html
Our county’s registration advance placement includes healthcare workers, first responders, residents in various facilities, as well as people with various compromising health issues.
Last edited by allegro; 12-12-2020 at 10:39 AM.
Ah, ok.
Still. I'm not getting a vaccine for a long time....
To clarify, I would like the vaccine asap, but I'm just being realistic.
Last edited by Magnetic; 12-12-2020 at 10:45 AM. Reason: clarification
by this time next year, if enough people get the vaccine by then, we'll be back to "normal" .
if not, this continuous cycle may linger through at least half of '22.
there doesn't seem to be enough public confidence in this. even if you do have underlying conditions, or are older, you aren't being forced to take it.
it's so weird that "maybe I should try obesity" is a shortcut route to getting the vaccine...
I saw that and was like huh, how close am I to that magic number...?
The weird thing is that I have asthma and that is NOT on the list.
Asthma keeps going on and off the Covid list as far as risk and complication.
You’d think asthma would be on the top of the list
Given the potential long term damage to lungs, heart, kidneys and brain, I've been as careful as possible even if I'm going insane from quarantine. The idea of my teeth falling out isn't appealing either.
I was at a job site today, and no one was wearing masks. I walked from my car to the site wearing a mask, and everyone looked at me like I had three heads. When the person I needed to meet with walked too close, I held out my hand and said, "I'm sorry, I need you to keep your distance. I have a superintendent who is in the hospital."
Immediately people put on masks and backed away. I wanted to shout, "this isn't how this shit works people!"
*bang*head*against*something*
I simply said, "this is how everyone should be at all times. People carry this without knowing."
Thankfully our superintendent is doing better and should be released after 8 days in a hospital. He has become a friend of mine over the last 6 months, and I've been worried.
That sucks, it really shouldn't be that way at all. We could be doing so much better than this.
USA is heading for 6000 deaths every fucking day by this time next month.
This (below) is on the IG feed of Kristi Noem, the Governor of South Dakota.
Read all the comments to see what we are up against, and why we will likely be in this situation for, like, FIVE FUCKING YEARS.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CI30MlOs...=1wbyfhef6ab74
Received my first dose of the vaccine today via my employer (hospital). I work in direct patient care, although not on the front lines, so I was included in the first tier. The process was seamless. The second dose is to occur 21 days or later and is to be from the same manufacturer. The nurse told me there is no established window right now for a maximum time limit in which to receive the second dose. There was a 15 minute observation period afterwards to watch for any immediate adverse reactions. During this time I found myself staring out the window, sucked into the gravitas of thinking about those who have died and the surreal feeling of going through a pandemic.
Last edited by thenorthwood; 12-20-2020 at 10:38 PM.
So... a strain variant out of England...
Yeah.... That's why London was plunged into Tier 4 on Saturday and the 5-day relaxation of restrictions over Christmas has been downscaled to Christmas Day alone. Pretty scary stuff.
Crazy to think that schools in London were ordered to stay open no more than a week ago.
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if there's a strain varient in England, chances are, it's already in USA and other places too.
it's also possible that the current vaccines may not work on the strain varient.
if that's the case, we're fucked for a few more years.
Not necessarily. The new vaccines are being made with new tech that involves gene splicing. They remove the harmful protiens out of the gene. What used to take months, now takes days. They have the ability to modify the work that has already been done. My doctor explained what was going on to me. The way things stand, I'll get the shot sometime in February due to health issues.
Possible, but unlikely:
https://globalnews.ca/news/7522774/n...ation-vaccine/