Philadelphia Health Commissioner Details Vaccine Rollout Plan

Philadelphia PA

15 December, 2020

2:19 PM

Description

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia's top doctor offered details on the coronavirus vaccine and the future of the city during a news conference Tuesday. Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley discussed the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine that is being distributed to hospitals in the city after it was approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration last week. According to Farley, vaccine shipments to local hospitals will continue Wednesday, with most hospitals planning to begin vaccinating staff Wednesday as well. "This is clearly a Historic moment in the biggest pandemic in history," Farley said. As Farley stated in previous news conferences, vaccine priority is being given to healthcare workers and nursing home residents first. Following those groups will be critical infrastructure — or essential — workers and residents of congregate settings, such as prisons, group homes, and behavioral facilities. The next group would be people over the age of 65, followed by people with underlying health conditions. After those groups are vaccinated, everyone else will be eligible to get the vaccine. Farley said the list above will be refined over the coming weeks and months based on recommendations from the CDC and the local vaccine advisory committee. This priority schedule was based on three factors: likelihood of exposure, risk of developing a serious infection, and risk of spreading infection. It's unclear how quickly vaccines will be rolled out in the city, but Farley said it will take months. Primary distribution will be at work sites such as hospitals and nursing homes. Employers will receive doses to provide to employees. As vaccine doses become more widely available, the city will expand vaccination site types. "Overall this is really a stunning achievement that scientists developed two vaccines so quickly and that they've proven to be safe and effective," Farley said. "In general, I consider vaccines to be the greatest discovery in medicine, and I'm hopeful that this and other vaccines will end this pandemic, just as vaccines have ended epidemics of smallpox, polio, and measles." But Farley said this is no reason for Phialdelphians to ignore health guidance. "In the meantime, everyone still is at high risk," he said. The public is urged to continue wearing masks, staying socially distant from others, avoiding gatherings with those outside their households, and to stay home whenever possible. Farley discussed the FDA study that led to the Pfizer vaccine's approval. The study involved 43,000 participants in the United State and five other countries. Of the 43,000 people, half got the vaccine and half got a placebo. Over about two months of tracking by researchers, 162 people who got the placebo became infected and just eight who got the vaccine became infected. Farley said the study shows it is 95 percent effective in all populations, and it was safe with no major health effects. Side effects, however, were detected. After getting a second dose, about a third of those who got the vaccine reported chills and muscle aches, and about 15 percent reported fevers. Farley said that's a good sigh, though, as those side effects indicate the body's immune system is working. The vaccine was approved by three separate committees convened by the FDA, CDC, and the states of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. All three committees recommended the vaccine overall and for anyone over 16 years old, unless they have had reactions to other vaccinations. Farley also discussed the Moderna vaccine, which had its FDA study released Tuesday. That study was done with 30,000 volunteers, half of which got the vaccine and the other half got a placebo. Of the placebo group, 90 people contracted the virus. Conversely, jut five of those who were given the vaccine contracted the virus. Additionally, 30 people in the placebo group got serious infections of the virus, while no one in the vaccine group became seriously ill. Farley reported 1,223 new cases of the virus Tuesday, bringing the city's total to 81,708. Additionally, six more deaths were reported Tuesday which brings the number of coronavirus deaths in Philadelphia to 2,141 total. In Philadelphia hospitals, 920 patients are being treated for the coronavirus.