(Guthrie Center) The first “mass shipment” of Pfizers’ coronavirus vaccine arrived in the United States on Friday. Under FDA rules, vaccines cannot be shipped to actual administration sites until it’s been licensed or authorized by the FDA. Pfizer’s vaccine is anticipated to be authorized by the FDA by mid-December.
Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber says three companies are currently applying for emergency use authorizations. He says the timeline for distributing this particular vaccine will be in late December or early January, as long as there are no FDA hurdles as far as safety, and data, etc.
Arber says the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting today to release guidelines for who should receive that vaccine first. He says the Iowa Department of Public Health will follow suit and provide that information, so the process will begin.
Arber says the question is how many people will get vaccinated?
Arber says the timeline back to normalcy largely depends on how soon we can get the vaccine out to the public, and how willing the public is to follow CDC guidelines to assure the virus doesn’t spread and mutate.
Arber says the virus may still show up in pockets or small outbreaks, but his hope is normalcy will come back this fall with a little bit of caution. His hope is by next winter, there is no more talk about masks or gatherings for big family dinners. Arber says there is a “light at the end of the tunnel.”
