COVID-19 Vaccination Information
2020 has been filled with much uncertainty and fear. Yet, we have simultaneously been given a glimpse into the efficiency and brilliance with which our medical professionals operate. We have seen kindness from our friends and neighbors unlike any we have experienced in the past. We have learned how resilient the American spirit is and now we see the light at the end of the tunnel.
As 2020 comes to an end we are getting closer to distributing a vaccine for COVID-19. For some, this vaccine is surrounded by more uncertainty. To answer a few questions pertaining to the up and coming vaccinations we have pulled information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as well as from the Baker-Polito Administration updates.
What:
COVID-19 can have serious, life-threatening complications, and there is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you. And if you get sick, you could spread the disease to friends, family, and others around you.
Clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines must first show they are safe and effective before any vaccine can be authorized or approved for use. The known and potential benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine must outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine for use under what is known as an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). What is an EUA?
Getting COVID-19 may offer some natural protection, known as immunity. But experts don’t know how long this protection lasts, and the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experience sickness.
Who:
At first, there will be a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine. The initial supplies of vaccine will be given to people in a fair, ethical, and transparent way. A highly structured and regulated process will distribute vaccine first to healthcare workers and residents of long-term care and congregate-living facilities. It is likely that the next wave of vaccines will be for essential personnel such as police and firefighters. The general public will be vaccinated in the subsequent phase, likely based on medical risk status.
When:
The first doses of vaccine should be available by the end of December 2020. Governor Baker announced on December 7, 2020 “The feds have informed us that we should expect to receive 300,000 first doses by the end of December.” He went on to say, “Those doses will be prioritized to frontline health care workers first, and then to long term care facilities.”
Cost:
Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. However, vaccination providers will be able to charge an administration fee for giving the shot to someone. Vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.
Will masks and social distancing be required after receiving the vaccine?
Yes. While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to us to help stop this pandemic, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask, washing hands often, and staying at least 6 feet away from others.
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