MADISON, Wis. — Promising news about two COVID-19 vaccines with about 90% effectiveness has many hopeful that the end of the pandemic is on the horizon. But this still doesn’t mean we’ll be able to return to normal anytime soon.
If the vaccines do get approved for emergency authorization, state health leaders believe the best case scenario is that vaccines start to arrive in Wisconsin in January.
“This COVID-19 vaccination planning and dissemination is even more complicated than we ever imagined. It will be the most extraordinary public health intervention our state has ever undertaken,” said Wisconsin Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk
She said the first to get the vaccines will be healthcare workers and first responders. That’s likely several hundred thousand people, so the initial process could take months.
“We’ll need to ramp up from a few, to a few more, to more, to many, to lots. And that ramp up will happen over several months,” said Willems Van Dijk.
The vaccine will then be distributed to the most vulnerable population, including the elderly and people in nursing homes.
By the time everyone who wants a vaccine gets one, it could be late next year. And this all depends on if the vaccines are as effective as they look now and if they can be mass produced that quickly.
“There’s going to be billions of people in the world wanting to get at least one of these vaccines,” said Dr. William Hartman with UW Health.
He said the manufacturer Moderna believes it can have 10 million doses made by the end of the year and 100 million into next year.
“We don’t know what that process looks like, if there are going to be any glitches in that system as they do it. This is the first time that this has happened,” said Hartman.
And even with people getting vaccinated, masks and testing sites won’t go away.
“We will need to continue to do everything we’re doing now to protect and control, protect people against infection and control the spread of COVID-19 while we are beginning vaccinations. It isn’t like one ends and the other starts,” said Willems Van Dijk.
Hartman said even with the vaccine, studies show you can still get infected with COVID-19.
“Ninety five people in (Moderna’s) trial had contracted COVID 19 – five of them had been vaccinated,” he said.
When asked whether people will be able to go to their primary care physician to get the vaccine or if community drive-up and walk-up sites will be available, Willems Van Dijk said “all of the above.”
“We are fully committed to making sure no matter where you live in Wisconsin, you will have access to this vaccine. So there may be some logistical challenges with some of the vaccine product, but we’re confident with the variety that we’ll be receiving that we’ll overcome those challenges,” she said.
