COVID vaccine is coming to California. Who will get it? Is it safe? Answers to questions

Amid a tremendous surge in COVID-19 cases that’s forced much of the state into stay-at-home orders, Gov. Gavin Newsom this week gave Californians reason to feel hopeful: The vaccine is on its way.

“We have successfully submitted from our partners our first orders,” Newsom said during a Monday press conference.

Though far from a silver bullet to immediately end the pandemic, the vaccine is considered one of the most critical tools the global community can employ in its nearly year-long fight against the coronavirus.

Here’s a look at how the process is anticipated to play out:

When will the United States get a vaccine?

The Food and Drug Administration’s independent advisors are scheduled to hold a multi-hour meeting Thursday to recommend approving the New York-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Within days, it could issue a final determination.

If authorized, the vaccination process in America could begin almost immediately.

The federal agency will review Moderna’s data on Dec. 17. If that vaccine is approved, the Cambridge-based company could also quickly begin dosage distribution.

When will California get the vaccine?

Health departments have submitted their vaccine requests to the state, which then reviews and submits the total order to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Newsom said.

From there, the federal agency examines state applications and forwards the orders.

Newsom already announced at the end of November that California had ordered 327,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine. Those shots are expected to arrive around Dec. 15, Newsom said Monday.

Sacramento County health officials say they expect to receive 14,625 doses in that first shipment. In Sacramento, the shipments will initially be stored at a handful of medical facilities that have usable freezers, including Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, Sutter Health, UC Davis Medical Center and Vibra Hospital in Folsom.

The state Department of Public Health’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee expects the Moderna vaccine to arrive in California around Christmas Eve, though that date could change.

In total, the governor said California will likely receive a total 2.16 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna and other companies by the end of the year.

Pfizer itself will package and send its doses to distribution centers, while McKesson will work as a supply “intermediary” for Moderna.

Pending federal approval, said Dr. Robert Schechter, chief of the health department’s immunization branch, “Next week, California and the rest of the country will be receiving doses of the Pfizer vaccine” for use.

Who in California will get the vaccines first?

Health care workers at the greatest risk of infection, along with nursing and long-term care residents, will be the first in line for the vaccine once it arrives in California.

The initial supply won’t cover every health care professional. Instead, California’s plan will “sub-prioritize” workers in certain facilities, with an emphasis on those servicing vulnerable populations.

Because Pfizer and Moderna’s products both require two doses of the shots, only about 1 million Californians could realistically be vaccinated against the virus before 2021.

“Remember, doses, you’ve got to get two,” Newsom said. “Each dose is one shot. So cut that number in half in terms of how you allocate, at least in your own minds, the number of individuals that can avail themselves, if they choose, (of) the vaccine.”

When will the general public get vaccinated?

The majority of Californians likely won’t qualify for vaccination until well into 2021.

That will happen only after health care and other essential workers who can’t work remotely, older Californians and those with underlying health conditions get the shots.

“Don’t anticipate or expect that you can go down to a local pharmacy anytime this year and get a vaccination,” Newsom said during an Oct. 19 press conference.

If I’ve already had COVID, should I still get vaccinated?

Yes.

“Because once you get infected with the virus, it isn’t certain how long that protection will be,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert.

Is the COVID vaccine safe?

The speed at which the COVID-19 vaccines were developed and will be approved is unprecedented. It traditionally takes years of testing, data collection and scientific review for a new shot to hit the markets.

Given the emergency, with more than 288,000 dead Americans, it became imperative that a safe and effective vaccine be made available as soon as possible.

But that expedited process — dubbed “Operation Warp Speed” by President Donald Trump’s administration — has some Americans hesitant to get the shots.

While the truncated timeline is unusual, Fauci said last month that the speedy process did not “compromise scientific integrity.” He also pledged that when his turn comes to take the vaccine, he will do so publicly.

“I really want to settle the concern that people have about that,” Fauci said, adding that an “independent body of people who have no allegiance to anyone...looked at the data and deemed it to be sound.”

“This is really solid,” he said.

Still, there will be atypical experiences called “adverse reactions” that can range from minor, typical side effects to more serious issues.

After Britain rolled out the Pfizer vaccine to its residents this week, it was reported that two individuals with previous allergy concerns had reactions to the shots.

That prompted British health authorities to discourage anyone with a “significant history of allergic reactions” from getting the vaccine. The incidents are under investigation, and the individuals are recovering.

Both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines could produce uncomfortable conditions, like fatigue, chills and injection site pain, particularly after the second dose.

The CDC says it will monitor any COVID-19 vaccine reactions via a “new smartphone-based tool called v-safe to check in on people’s health after they receive a COVID-19 vaccine.”

Where will I go to get the shots?

That will depend. Most hospital employees will get the shots at their workplace. Residents of nursing homes and other congregate care facilities will be given the shots at their residential facility.

People who have doctors affiliated private health care systems, including Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, likely will get the signal from their health care providers when they qualify.

They may get the shot from at one of their health care provider’s facilities, or they may be sent to CVS or Walgreens or another pharmacy.

CVS and Walgreens are expected to be the two largest providers of COVID-19 vaccinations. Those two entities also will be handling the vaccinations at nursing homes.

Do people who get vaccinated still need to wear a mask?

Many public health experts agree that restrictions will still be necessary during the initial stages of vaccination.

The general hope is that by the summer, vaccine supply will be adequate enough to start returning to some semblance of normal life, though with modifications.

Even then, that goal is ambitious.

Fauci said common activities without limitations won’t be likely until the “overwhelming majority” of Americans take the vaccine, possibly around the third quarter of next year.

And yes, until then, everyone needs to continue wearing masks and other safety protocol.

Data show that the vaccines are effective in preventing serious symptoms of the virus. But it’s unclear at this point whether the immunizations prevent people from spreading the virus. That means even those who get vaccinated will still have to wear face coverings.

Those practices are even more critical during surges like the one California is experiencing now, with hospitals stretched thin and ICU capacity declining rapidly.

“There is light at the end of the tunnel,” said Dr. Nadine Burke, California’s surgeon general, during a Wednesday advisory meeting. “But at the time of this surge, (I am) really, really encouraging all of us to be strong messengers to encourage folks to limit non-essential activities, to stay home.”

What does herd immunity mean?

Epidemiologists say that when about 75% of the population has been vaccinated, the virus is considered under control. That means illness from the virus is unlikely to continue to spread in public.

Health care officials, however, say they are worried that many people will delay or be unwilling to get the shots for various reasons.

A national Quinnipiac University survey this week showed that 37% of adults say they are willing to get the vaccine as soon as possible, 41 percent say they would wait a few months, and 20 percent say they do not plan ever to get the vaccine.

“We are dealing with vaccine hesitancy, for sure,” Dr. Oliver Brooks, co-chair of California’s vaccine drafting guidelines work group.

Sacramento County health chief Dr. Peter Beilenson said government will feel pressure to continue some business shutdowns until herd immunity occurs.

This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM.