Local Health Officials Await Possible Vaccine

syringe-safe-4-7
syringe-safe-4-7

If and when a COVID-19 vaccine is approved, it will be a while before the general public can get it. That’s according to Berrien County Health Officer Nicki Britten, who spoke on Friday about the planning underway.

“It could be March by the time we’re in that 1B category, where we’re starting to get beyond the healthcare providers, beyond the critical infrastructure workers, and it could be into May by the time we’re equipped as a country to be vaccinating the general public,” Britten said.

Britten said December could see some vaccine doses available for healthcare workers who deal directly with COVID patients. After that, it would go to healthcare and other workers who are on the frontlines, like first responders. Spectrum Health Lakeland President Loren Hamel advised everyone who can get a vaccine to do so.

“I don’t want to be the first in line, but I’m absolutely going to take a vaccine when it’s made available to me,” Hamel said. “We do that not just because we care about our own health, but we do that because we want to make sure that we’re saving a hospital bed or an ICU bed for somebody that needs it.”

Britten said there is a great deal of planning going on right now for a vaccine release. Pfizer applied to the FDA for an emergency use authorization for its vaccine on Friday.