First Responders Won’t Get First Vaccine Doses

To the dismay of Palm Beach County commissioners, at-risk elderly who don’t live in nursing homes and first responders aren’t among the first wave of people who will get the coronavirus vaccine that is expected to be approved on Thursday.

In addition to criticizing the priority system that has been tentatively established that would allow nursing home residents and hospital workers to be the first to get vaccinated, they voiced concern that no hospital in the county will receive the initial shipments of the vaccine.

Adding to the unease, county Health Director Dr. Alina Alonso said she hasn’t been told whether the five hospitals in the state that will get initial batches will share it. Hospitals in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which are among the five, haven’t shared their distribution plans, she said.

“This process is about to get ugly and really political,” said Commissioner Melissa McKinlay.

County officials, along with legislative leaders, should immediately voice their concerns to state officials, she said.

Commissioner Mack Bernard likened the situation to the early stages of the pandemic when no mass testing site was established in the county.

“When we received testing sites in Palm Beach County, we had to fight with the state, fight with the federal government,” Bernard said. “This is going to be the same thing. It needs to be all hands on deck.”

McKinlay criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis for not clearly explaining the state’s plans. Instead of holding press conferences, the governor in recent weeks has communicated by posting videos on his web site with no opportunity for people to ask questions.

"Everyone is in the dark," she said.

“It’s very frustrating,” Alonso agreed. “I don’t like being evasive, but I just don’t know.”

In general, DeSantis has said that when the first 1 million to 2 million vaccines arrive in the state, nursing home residents would be the first to get vaccinated because of the high risk they face. He has also indicated that hospital workers should be in the first wave.

DeSantis along with other governors travelled to Washington on Tuesday to participate in a White House summit to learn about the federal government's $12 billion plan to vaccinate Americans. President Donald Trump has dubbed the plan, Operation Warp Speed.

According to a preliminary plan outlined last week by county emergency managers, first-responders, including fire-rescue workers and police, would be in the second group.

Once the vaccine is widely available in late spring or early summer, others could start lining up, said Mary Blakeney, senior manager at the county’s Department of Emergency Management.

While CVS, Walgreens and other pharmacies are expected to administer the shots, the plans are in flux, she said.

Commissioner Marie Marino pointed out that tens of thousands of elderly residents in the county don’t live in nursing homes. Many haven’t left their homes for months, fearing they could contract the deadly virus.

Likewise, McKinlay said first-responders face the same risk as hospital workers and should be among the first to be inoculated. “They shouldn’t be treated any differently,” she said.

County Administrator Verdenia Baker agreed. “If we don’t keep our first responders safe, how can they protect us?” she said.

Alonso said plans are in place to try to reach out to senior communities. Many homeowners associations are contracting with medical providers who would be able to set up shop in the communities so people don’t have to venture far from their homes.

Further, she said, it is likely vaccines would eventually be offered at drive-thru testing sites around the county. Mobile vans, now used for coronavirus testing, will be converted into mobile vaccination clinics.

That would enable the elderly and people who don’t live near pharmacies to be inoculated, she said.

“Once we get our hands on the vaccine we have an excellent plan of where it goes,” Alonso said. “Once they get in Palm Beach County, I can guarantee you, we’re ready to go.”

Part of the uncertainty is because various players are involved in plan-making, she said. A federal advisory committee is establishing the parameters but the state government will also be involved as well, she said.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Dec. 1 tentatively agreed that front-line hospital workers and nursing home residents should be first to get the vaccine.

A final meeting to confirm or change that initial recommendation will be held after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA is meeting on Thursday to consider authorizing one developed by Pfizer and a week later Moderna’s vaccine will be allowed to be distributed.

[email protected]

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: First responders won't get first vaccine doses

___

(c)2020 The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.)

Visit The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.) at www.palmbeachpost.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.