W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice said today during his coronavirus briefing that vaccines for COVID-19 could arrive to the Mountain State as early as the second week of December, and Lou Vargo, the director of the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency, said distribution plans are already in place.
Pfizer/BioNTech filed for authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 20, and earlier today Moderna applied for the same permission. To gain FDA approval, companies have to show three things, including that it is safe, that it is at least 50 percent effective, and that it can be produced reliably and safety. Pfizer/BioBTech reported a 95 percent efficiency, and Moderna reported a 94.5 efficiency. A third company, Novavax, soon will seek FDA approval, as well.
Once the doses are distributed to counties in the Mountain State, Vargo said personnel with the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department and the Ohio County EMA will be ready to vaccinate residents in a designated order.
“Following the anthrax scares in 2001, things changed a lot and the state health department throughout the country created a threat preparedness division. That’s is how we prepared plans for distribution whether it was for a vaccine or something else,” Vargo explained. “That is why we have distribution plans, and we also have the floors plans to set up an area for the process.
“Now, creating the points of distribution is quite the process because there are going to be a lot of people who are going to want to get there first and that is why we will have to work with law enforcement for traffic control,” he said. “The number of people who get vaccinated in the first phase will depend on the number we receive, and we’ll go from there.”
Who and When?
The two drug makers are mass producing the vaccines at this time, but when the doses will reach the general public in Ohio County remains unknown. That is why Vargo and his staff have worked on several scenarios for distribution.
“There are two reputable companies that are mass producing their vaccines right now, and a third one is soon to come online, too,” Vargo explained. “From what we have been told, the vaccines that are already produced will be divided to the states by the federal government, and those companies will continue producing it for global distribution, as well.
“Gen. Hoyer is retiring from the Army National Guard and he is going to be in charge of the distribution program for the state of West Virginia,” he said. “It will be a phased approach and front-line health care workers will be first, and then the vaccine will go to the long-term care facilities we have here in Ohio County. After those two groups, it will go to first responders and then to the general public.”
Fire fighters, police officers and sheriff’s deputies, EMS personnel, EMA and health department employees, and 911 dispatchers should be included in the vaccinations of first responders, Vargo reported.
“The older first responders who are more at risk will get it first, and the younger ones will receive it,” Vargo said. “There’s a lot of work going into this right now so we can be as prepared as possible when the vaccines are ready for distribution.
“It is impressive to me that a vaccine was created so quickly, but a lot of federal money went to those companies to produce it as quickly as possible, and the vaccines didn’t go through the normal process but those companies have conducted extensive clinical trial,” he explained. “With the success rate being in the 90s with few side effects, it’s very impressive.”
What It Will Look Like
Before mid-March, a pandemic was a mere figment of a screenwriter’s imagination, and movie directors and actors have depicted eager citizens waiting in long lines for a vaccine, and that very well could be the case in Ohio County.
While the locations for the vaccinations will vary based on the supply received, the process already has been developed.
“You will go to the location and get into the line,” Vargo explained. “And then inside, there may be four or five lines for distribution. You will get registered, and then you will be screened about your health history. With administering a vaccine, we have to make sure that it is OK for people based on their history, their immunization records, and their allegories.
“After that process, you will get the shot and then have a seat to make sure you don’t have some sort of bad reaction to it,” he said. “Now, when it is time for the general population to receive the vaccines, we have discussed having drive-in distribution locations where the same process would take place, but you would be able to stay in your vehicle. “
With the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, a two-shot process is necessary.
“And that is something to think about when you are hearing the numbers about how many doses have been produced so far,” Vargo said. “Plus, if Ohio County gets the vaccine that was produced by Moderna, the people who get vaccinated the first time will need to get the same one produced by the same company. It has to be consistent.
“It’s going to take a lot of people to pull this off and our hospitals are inundated right now because of the number of people who have become infect by the virus,” he said. “It’s going to take a community effort and that is why the health department likely will ask for assistance from the general public at those distribution locations.”
It is possible, too, that some Ohio County residents could be denied the dose following the health screening.
“Since we do not yet have the specifics on the actual vaccine, we do not know who might not be able to have it,” Vargo said. “I think the most common thing will be allergies and if there is something in the vaccine that someone is allergic to.
“With any kind of vaccine or medication, there could be an issue with an allergy and the side effects,” he said. “Not all drugs are for all people for whatever reasons, so that is why there will be that health screening process included at the locations for distribution.”
More Long Days Ahead
Wheeling Hospital employees began testing for COVID-19 in March, and they continue to do so at the location on the former campus of the Ohio Valley Medical Center, and tests are being conducted this week at three additional locations.
As of today, more than 1,600 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 18 associated deaths have been recorded. Ohio County was designated in “Red” category this morning after adding a total of 245 cases in the past week.
That is why Vargo is anxious for the release of the vaccine and getting it to the residents at locations in the county.
“It will depend on the number of doses, but it is possible that we could set up Wesbanco Arena or the Wheeling Park gymnasium,” the EMA director said. “We also talked about having a drive-thru at The Highlands, but again, it’s really based on the supply that is delivered to us. The governor is correct when saying the first doses come to West Virginia in mid-December, but when it comes to the general public, it will be later in the year when they are able to get the vaccine.
“We are positive the demand for the vaccine is going to be very high, and that is why everyone in health care, with health departments, and with EMAs are preparing to work six or several days per week for a pretty long time,” he added. “That is how it has been since the beginning of the pandemic and it appears it will remain that way for some time.”
