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Tieman: Vaccine coming to Vermont

Submitted by tim on

COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer. Courtesy photo

by Jeff Tieman, VAHHS President and CEO A post-pandemic world is closer than it was even a week ago. Several highly effective COVID-19 vaccines are on their way – the first, from Pfizer, is slated to arrive in Vermont in a day or so. Initial doses will be administered by hospitals and pharmacies as part of federal and state plans that prioritize front-line health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

This week’s VAHHS Update provides more details about vaccine distribution, effectiveness and possible side effects. Our goal is to share new information as rapidly as possible to help health care workers – and Vermonters in general – stay informed and confident about getting the vaccine as soon as it’s available to them. Of course, such information changes quickly.

We must be careful not to let the vaccines lull us into a sense of false security. It will be many months before most of the American public is vaccinated. Until then, we have to remain vigilant and on guard. As tired as we are of wearing masks and social distancing, these practices must continue. As much as we want to gather with friends and family, we are better off staying apart to prevent virus spread and an overwhelmed hospital system.

Health experts suggest it could take many months into 2021 to reach a vaccination rate high enough for more normal life to resume. That makes what we do right now so important. Unfortunately, the number of COVID-19 cases in Vermont is currently at an all-time high with hospitalization and death rates growing.

The light is at last flickering at the end of this dark tunnel. To see more of that light later, we need to be even more careful now. To find ourselves in a state where COVID is once again rare, we need to make wise, if difficult, decisions today, like keeping holiday celebrations to our immediate family or household.

I have faith in Vermonters’ ability to continue following guidelines from the governor and Dr. Levine to keep each other safe—“masks on faces, six-foot spaces, uncrowded places”—and to cooperate with the state’s rigorous testing and contact-tracing efforts.

So far, we are fortunate not to have seen the same post-Thanksgiving bump in case volume other states are experiencing. That is no accident. It is the direct result of our teamwork, and Vermonters’ willingness to be patient and take the right steps to manage through the pandemic until it is a thing of the past.

I believe we can change our seasonal celebration habits once again. Observing holidays differently this year is the best way to ensure we can be back together next year.

Vaccine Update: Top 10 Things to Know

Southern Vermont Medical System
Trey Dobson, MD - chief medical officer at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.
Please note: SVMC does not have the COVID-19 vaccine yet, and is not collecting names of individuals to receive the vaccine.
#1: As Pfizer and Moderna apply for emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, vaccine is already on its way to Vermont.
#2: Vermont expects to receive an initial supply of vaccine to cover around 6,000 people with additional vaccine arriving at least weekly.
#3: The first to be vaccinated will be frontline workers, including those working with sick patients in the hospital and acute care settings followed by other healthcare workers and first responders.
#4: Also in phase 1 are older adults living in congregant settings and people of all ages with underlying conditions that put them at high risk.
#5: The complete list of who will be vaccinated and in what priority continues to be developed at the federal, state, and local level. It is based on each group’s risk of contracting COVID-19 and their vulnerabilities.
#6: We are preparing to administer the vaccine in the same way we gave flu shots throughout October. Clinics will take place in the parking lot closest to the Monument Avenue Extension entrance. Patients will drive up and receive the vaccine through their car window. As time passes, COVID-19 vaccination will be available at your provider’s office.
#7: As with other vaccines, a small percentage of individuals may experience a brief period of fatigue, myalgia, and headache.
#8: When we take the production capabilities of each of the 10 candidate vaccines into account, it is possible that almost everyone who would like a vaccine will be vaccinated by fall of 2021.
#9: The vaccine will end the pandemic in 2021 in some countries. COVID-19 will continue as a disease similar to the many other infectious diseases in society, disproportionately affecting the vulnerable.
#10: There are still unknowns, like how long the protection will last and how often we will need to be revaccinated. We trust that science will answer those questions, once the data is available.