2021: Hope Finally Arrives

2021: Hope Finally Arrives

COVID-19 Vaccinations Begin

CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Zachary Eichholz, Sustainability Program Manager + Resilience Planner, City of Cape Canaveral

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the US and the globe, a massive multinational effort spanning both the private and public sectors is underway to quickly and safely develop viable vaccines. According to the US Centers Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a vaccine stimulates your body’s immune system to produce antibodies, exactly like it would if you were exposed to a disease. After getting vaccinated, you develop immunity to that specific disease, without having to get the disease first. This is what makes vaccines such a powerful medical tool. Unlike most medicines, which treat or cure diseases, vaccines prevent them. Much of the world’s population has seen an enormous decline in what were once common, sometimes life threatening ailments thanks in part to vaccinations. The CDC considers vaccines to be one the greatest public health achievements in modern history, with the number of people who experience the devastating effects of preventable infectious diseases like measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough at an all-time low. Some diseases such as smallpox have even been eradicated after large scale global vaccination programs.

In December, US-based pharmaceutical company Moderna applied to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine. In November, US-based company Pfizer and Germany-based company BioNTech submitted for emergency use authorization for their own jointly produced COVID-19 vaccine as well. Other companies are not far behind, including Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Today, both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines are being deployed and disseminated to the most vulnerable across the country. By the time you are reading this there have undoubtedly been hundreds of thousands inoculated around the world already, if not more. However, it is important to note that for now not everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to get one.

The state of Florida has prioritized the residents of long term care facilities, frontline healthcare workers, and those 65+ years of age and/or with significant comorbidities. In order to be prepared for vaccine distribution, the governor’s office announced that the state has procured 5 million needles, 5 million syringes and 5 million alcohol swabs in anticipation for the first groups of people to be vaccinated. The state has also identified locations with the necessary refrigeration infrastructure to properly store COVID-19 vaccines, specifically Pfizers, which requires refrigeration temperatures of -94°F (-70°C) to remain viable. Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine does not have special refrigeration requirements and can be stored within normal medical refrigerators, allowing it to be more accessible. Both vaccines require two shots separated by about two weeks in order to be as effective as possible.

The City of Cape Canaveral will continue to provide updates about the ongoing efforts to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine as more developments occur. For more factual information about COVID-19 vaccines please visit the CDC’s website: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ covid-19/index.html