SAN DIEGO — The first shipment of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine has arrived in San Diego County after leaving Michigan Sunday morning for destinations across the nation. Three sites in San Diego will each receive a share of the 28,275 vaccines that were allocated for the county’s healthcare workers.
San Diego County tweeted on Monday morning "First COVID-19 vaccine for front line health care workers arrives in San Diego." along with a short video showing 3 boxes on a table.
A county video shows the unpacking of the vaccine and placement into cold storage.
U.C. San Diego Medical Center, Rady Children’s Hospital and Naval Medical Center San Diego all expect to receive doses this week. Rady Children's Hospital reported to News 8 Monday, Dec. 14 that they are tracking the shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine and it’s expected to arrive at Children's on Tuesday. It is not known the amount of the vaccine that will arrive.
“While this moment is extraordinary, we have a lot of work to do. We're not taking a victory lap,” said Gen. Gus Pema, Chief Operating Officer of Operation Warp Speed.
UPS and FedEx are handling some of the deliveries. CBS News reported FedEx will deliver to west coast states and UPS will deliver to east coast states. On Sunday, specially designed containers were filled with dry ice and placed on cargo planes to distribution hubs.
About 145 sites across the United States could receive shipments Monday. An additional 636 will receive shipments Tuesday or Wednesday. The first dose to healthcare workers in San Diego could happen Tuesday, but the date may change.
The allotted doses for San Diego are enough to vaccinate 72% of the county’s healthcare workers. However, they will all need a second dose a few weeks later. The county plans to then vaccinate residents and workers in residential long-term care facilities, in accordance with vaccination guidelines from the California Department of Public Health.
Eventually, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency plans to hold public vaccination clinics, like how it distributes the annual influenza vaccine. It could take until late spring or early summer to vaccinate all Americans.
“[It would be] large locations where we can continue to provide COVID-safe practices for social distancing and good aeration,” said Denise Foster, RN, PHN, the county’s Chief Nursing Officer. “We also want to make it easy for people to get it in the community and we're looking at this kind of a [flu vaccine] model for the COVID vaccine as well.”
Sunday a group of medical experts from California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada determined Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is safe for public use.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the news on social media.
"They reviewed the safety, they reviewed the efficacy, and this group will also be reviewing the Moderna vaccine coming in shortly," he said.