State DoH preparing for COVID-19 vaccines

Not a ‘magical cure,’ treatments will be distributed in three phases

State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine is warning Pennsylvanians not to expect "a magical cure" from the COVID-19 vaccines being developed under the federal Operation Warp Speed for distribution and delivery by her Department of Health.

Experts are expecting that the COVID-19 vaccines eventually approved at the federal level will work like vaccines for the flu, conferring immunity on only 40%, 50% or 60% of recipients, while helping make illnesses shorter and milder for the rest, Levine said in a Webex call Thursday with reporters.

Moreover, her department's plan will be to deliver approved vaccines in three phases, the first two focusing on health care workers and others in essential jobs, along with vulnerable populations, and the third to the general public -- so it will be many months before community spread is eliminated, according to Levine.

Thus, it will be necessary even after the vaccine begins to be distributed to continue the mitigation measures of masking, social distancing, washing hands, avoiding crowds and staying home when sick, she said.

It won't be clear when community spread has ended until public health officials can analyze the actual effects of the vaccines on the population, she said.

She declined to predict when vaccine distribution will begin, but she did predict that the first to win approval as safe and efficacious will be Pfizer's, followed by Moderna's.

The Pfizer drug will need to be kept at minus 80 degrees Celsius, which will limit storage to facilities with the necessary equipment -- a requirement that the department's planning is taking into account, Levine said.

Other potential vaccines will simply need to be refrigerated, while one can be stored at room temperature, she said.

All the vaccines but one would require a booster shot about a month after the first shot is administered, she said.

The variables involved dictate that the department's plans be flexible, Levine said.

Getting vaccinated will be voluntary, she emphasized.

"No one will be forced to get the vaccine," she stated.

Still, the department is planning a campaign to "work past vaccine hesitancy," she said.

Unlike a coalition of western states, Pennsylvania does not plan a further safety review when Warp Speed gives its approval to any of the vaccines, Levine said.

There has been skepticism about whether the program was letting political considerations influence scientific decisions, but she is confident that the scientific guidelines have prevailed, she said.

She recommended accepting the Warp Speed approvals, and Gov. Tom Wolf accepted that recommendation, she said.

Given the possibility that multiple vaccines will be approved, there will need to be a robust system for tracking who gets which vaccine and when -- including for booster shots, Levine said.

Warp Speed has been a "remarkable" undertaking, with development, testing and manufacturing for six or more vaccines happening simultaneously, she said.

The federal government is providing the funding, so the drug companies aren't bearing the financial risk of failure, she said.

While speed has been the guiding principle -- it wasn't for testing, she said.

That caution is a critical element for ensuring safety, she said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.