COVID Vaccine Roll-Out

Published 2 months ago - 12

Maureen Lynch, Staff  Writer

In December of 2020, the FDA approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for distribution. Ever since then, states are slowly administering COVID-19 vaccines to the public. The vaccine rollout will be a lengthy process, but people are hopeful that by the end of 2021, the United States can start to transition into a post-COVID world.

Even though the vaccine rollout did not begin smoothly the United States is steadily continuing to vaccinate people. According to BBC, “there were some initial problems with the rollout of vaccines in the US. The government set a target of vaccinating 20 million Americans by the end of 2020 but managed just three million.” However, after President Biden was inaugurated, he created a new goal of vaccinating 100 million people in his first hundred days, according to NBC. Now, the United States is up to an average of 1.3 million shots administered every day.

Though the CDC has stated recommendations for how the COVID-19 vaccine should be distributed, states have each created their own rollout plan. Most states, however, are planning on distribution the vaccine to be given to those most at risk first before administering the vaccine to everyone else. Frontline workers overall were the first to receive the vaccine, along with the most at-risk group of people, typically those 75 and older. From there, most states seem to be planning to administer the vaccine in accordance with age, seemingly because the elderly are the most at risk of serious illness because of the virus.

When one goes to get vaccinated, they will need to receive two shots. Depending on which vaccine one receives, either the Pfizer or the Moderna, there will be a different interval between the two shots. According to the CDC, there is no cost for the shot itself, however, depending on where one goes to get the vaccine, there may be an administration fee. Because of the novelty of the virus, the CDC is not yet sure how many people will need to be vaccinated to obtain herd immunity. Until they pinpoint a number, those who have received their COVID-19 vaccines should still follow all guideline in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

At Assumption, the university is hopeful that students can receive a COVID-19 vaccine on campus, when it can begin distributing the vaccine. Ms. Cady-Melzer, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, said “Assumption has been approved as a COVID-19 vaccination site.  We have to and are committed to following the state guidelines for the distribution.  We are currently waiting to find out when we can have access to the vaccine when the stages come up for our populations.” She continued by saying, “The COVID-19 vaccine clinics will operate quite similar to our Flu Clinics.  As we hear details from the state about the availability of vaccines for our faculty, staff and students we will communicate information regarding any clinics we will offer here on campus.”

In January, the country experienced its most deadly month in terms of COVID-19 related deaths. Since then, however, COVID-19 cases have been on the decline in most states. Still, the United States, according to BBC, is still receiving about 120,000 new infections per day. With the vaccine now being administered across the nation, there is hope that this number will decline further. Until vaccinated, everyone should remain vigilant about maintaining the guidelines recommended by the CDC. However, many remain hopeful that by the end of 2021, we can get back to normalcy. If you are interested in finding out how your state’s rollout plans, check the CDC website for more information.


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