The COVID-19 vaccine is coming to Columbus. Here’s what residents need to know
The COVID-19 vaccine is coming to Columbus, and its first round goes to frontline healthcare workers.
And so does the second, in a sense: It’s a two step vaccine. The first shot does not confer automatic immunity.
Also in line, on the priority list, are those in assisted living, who are among the most vulnerable.
“We anticipate our vaccine shipment will arrive late this week or early next week,” Pamela Kirkland of the West Central Georgia Health District wrote in an email. “Each health care provider, hospital, etc., who has requested vaccine will receive their quantity directly from the manufacturer.”
Columbus hospitals said their supplies are on order.
“As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has stated, we expect to receive Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine seven to 10 days after it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” read a statement from Piedmont Columbus Regional. “Currently, nothing has altered that timetable. We will let the public know as soon as we receive our first allocations.”
St. Francis Hospital also said it had not yet received its first shipment.
What kind of COVID-19 vaccines are coming to Columbus?
The health department said it anticipated receiving supplies of both of the two vaccines expected to be distributed.
“We have ordered from both manufacturers,” said Kirkland. “I understand the Moderna vaccine does not require any special freezer for storage, but can be stored as vaccines we have now.”
The health department will administer vaccines to healthcare workers the hospitals won’t catch, such as those who visit patients’ homes, Kirkland said.
She noted that even after the vaccine is administered, immunity to COVID-19 takes time to build up, and each brand requires a second dose: The Pfizer vaccine in 21 days and the Moderna one in 28 days.
With frontline healthcare workers a priority, the public at large will have to wait until next year to be vaccinated, she said.
That means other area residents must wear masks, and social distance, to prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading.
Infections in Muscogee County lately have spiked, with consequences such as theaters canceling live, in-person performances, citing the rise in cases. Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson also recently re-instated a mask mandate to assist with lowering case rates.
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 11:35 AM.