‘It’s D-Day.’ The first COVID vaccine doses could arrive in Sacramento on Monday

The first doses of COVID-19 vaccine could arrive in Sacramento on Monday, and the first injections of local health care workers potentially could begin that same day, marking a dramatic turning-point in the area’s 10-month battle with the persistent and deadly pandemic.

Dr. David Lubarsky, Chief Executive Officer for UC Davis Health, said his Sacramento medical center – one of a handful designated regional vaccine repositories in California – has been told to prepare for the vaccine’s imminent arrival.

“We don’t know everything yet, but we’re expecting a first shipment to be in our freezers on Monday,” he said. “We are ready and willing.”

Lubarsky described it as the official launch of the counter-offensive to the coronavirus pandemic, akin to D-Day during World War II.

“It is a defining moment in the battle to defeat an infectious enemy,” he said. “It is not the end of the war. (But) we are in a position where we can defeat this virus and return to normal life. And it will be in the year 2021.”

The initial vaccine doses would be farmed out to health providers in the region to deliver to front-line health care workers. The exact timing is uncertain, but Lubarsky and other health officials say they expect to be delivering the first shots next week. Lubarsky said he is willing to start on Monday if given the green light.

The federal Food and Drug Administration is holding final hearings this weekend in advance of issuing a likely “emergency use authorization” as early as Sunday for the first COVID-19 vaccine to hit the market in the United States.

That vaccine, produced by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, has been shown to be highly effective in clinical trials. UC Davis Health helped conduct those tests.

So far, Sacramento County has reported a total of 45,336 COVID-19 infections and 646 deaths since the virus hit in March. There were 398 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county as of Wednesday, with 85 of them in ICUs.

ICU capacity in the Greater Sacramento 13-county region has dropped to 13.3% this week, triggering new state-mandated restrictions, including banning restaurants from serving food on premises, indoors or outdoors, and requiring hair salons and barbers to close.

Statewide, there have been 1.4 million virus cases, with 20,234 deaths. More than 11,000 people with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized in the state, 2,500 of them in ICUs.

Limited initial COVID vaccine supply

California has been allocated an initial limited supply of 327,000 doses, Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week.

Lubarksy said the Sacramento region overall could get about 30,000 doses in the initial shipment next week. Sacramento County health officials say they expect the county to receive 14,625 doses in the first shipment.

(UC Davis Health says it could potentially store about 400,000 vaccines at a time.)

In Sacramento, shipments initially also will be delivered to several health care systems, including Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, Sutter Health and Vibra Hospital in Folsom, according to county health officials.

Doses at some point also will be stored at pharmacies, notably CVS and Walgreens, which will offer shots similarly to how they offer flu vaccines.

A second round of vaccine doses is expected to arrive in California later this month, boosting the state’s December allotment to 2.16 million doses. The second allotment could include a vaccine produced by Moderna after it is vetted later next week by the FDA.

Health officials said they expect shipments to ramp up in January, with potentially 6 million doses available by the end of that month. The state population is 40 million.

The shipments will arrive via air freight and via refrigerated trucks carrying flat vaccine containers that officials are calling “pizza delivery boxes.”

Front-line health care workers, starting with hospital workers who deal with COVID-19 patients, will be the first to be offered the vaccine. The vaccines will be voluntary, not mandatory.

Workers and residents of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, also will be among the first to be offered vaccines. The California Association of Health Facilities estimates it could require 235,000 vaccines to take care of its residents and workers.

Given the limited initial shipments, it may take into or through January to clear these first two groups.

The next groups to be offered the vaccine likely will be essential workers, which could include emergency first responders, such as fire fighters, law enforcement, and emergency medical or ambulance technicians. Those next groups could also include workers in food production and agriculture, and teachers and others in education.

People older than 65 and those with chronic illnesses and immune-system issues also will be among the early recipients, early next year.

Health officials are predicting that the country could achieve “herd immunity” by summer if the roll-out goes smoothly and if enough people agree to take the vaccine. Officials say about 75% of the adult population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, which will suppress the spread of the virus.

Coronavirus vaccination not mandatory

Even the vaccinations offered to front-line health care and hospital workers who deal with COVID-19 are voluntary, “not mandatory,” said Dignity Health chief Laurie Harting.

Harting said her health care system has been taking the pulse of employees – who will be among the first in the country to be offered the vaccine – and have been getting a positive response.

“The majority feel comfortable taking the vaccine,” she said. “It is more frightening being exposed to this many COVID-19 patients.”

She said she believes Dignity will be getting vaccine shipments starting next week.

“This whole moment has been unbelievable for many reasons,” she said. “Now, thank goodness, we are at the (doorstep) of vaccinations. We can get to herd immunity. Summer could bring some sense of normality again.”

Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health officials said they too are prepping for the vaccine arrival.

“Kaiser Permanente has applied to be a vaccine provider in every market where we operate,” the company said in a statement. “Kaiser Permanente has decades of experience delivering vaccinations safely and efficiently, strictly following public health and medical guidance.”

Sutter Health officials said they are working with county health officials “to coordinate allotments of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 12:11 PM.