REGIONAL- Despite repeated comments touting two COVID-19 vaccines as “lights at the end of the tunnel,” state officials had few details to offer early this week on how Minnesota will distribute those vaccines as they awaited more guidance from the federal government.
“It’s hard to say yet before we get the federal framework,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said in a Monday press conference with Gov. Tim Walz. “The states have asked for that framework to be as specific as possible in the interests of time.”
“I think the federal plan is certainly the better way to go,” Walz added. “If Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota all take different tacks on who’s getting this, we have a lot folks in the health care industry who go back and forth across the borders – there needs to be coordination around this.”
Malcolm said that now is the time to “double down” on efforts to stop the coronavirus, as the vaccine won’t be widely available for months.
“We now know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, especially with the vaccines coming soon,” she said. “We know, though, that it’s not going to be a short tunnel. The vaccine supply is going to be limited for some time. It’s going to take time for it to be rolled out and made available to everyone.”
Meanwhile, Walz expressed concern that skepticism surrounding COVID-19 and the vaccine could dampen the vaccine’s effectiveness if people choose not to take the double-dose regimen.
“I candidly would tell you I’m deeply concerned about some of the mistrust around the vaccine,” he said. “I get it. We need to make sure we’re putting out that good information as we’re getting it there. We’ve gotten better at understanding what works and what doesn’t. The ultimate goal here was to slow the growth of COVID until we got to a point where we had a vaccine. The challenging news is that it’s coming at a time when we’re exactly at the worst place in the pandemic. What happens during a series of shots spread out over two weeks for the vaccine? Are people going to get that first shot and say ‘Woo hoo, I’m outta here?’”
Walz later turned a question about false rumors on the internet about his personal worth and out-of-state travel into an opportunity to reemphasize the danger of false information about COVID-19.
“The thing I most worry about is if you’re willing to believe those types of things without any proof, you’re probably not going to listen to me when I tell you to wear a mask,” he said. “Those type of things undermine faith in our institutions, they undermine the faith in the system. For the people who want to vote against me, you can find a million reasons that are probably true rather than resort to this. As a governor, the last thing you would ever want to do is to close a business. Your job as governor is to not do what is politically expedient, it’s to do what you believe the science shows is in the best interests of protecting the health and safety and wellbeing of Minnesotans.”
Emerging clarity
Efforts to bring more substance to the vaccine distribution discussion commenced on Tuesday as state Infectious Disease Division Director Kris Ehresmann explained why people should have confidence in the accelerated vaccine development process, emphasizing that no steps were eliminated from the testing and approval process for past vaccines.
Manufacturers were able to get a “jumpstart” in developing a COVID vaccine because of advances in research and technology, Ehresmann said, and portions of clinical trials happened simultaneously rather than one after another. The federal Operation Warp Speed provided the financial security for companies to begin manufacturing vaccines as soon as possible, unlike past vaccines that weren’t produced until after they were approved by the FDA.
“I can say with confidence that the ways we’ve been efficient have not impacted vaccine safety,” Ehresmann said. “Only the vaccines shown to be safe and effective will be used.”
A vaccine developed by Pfizer will be reviewed for approval by the FDA on Dec. 10, and a second by Moderna is slated for review on Dec. 17.
Ehresmann said the state has its own advisory group that will review and modify the federal guidelines to best suit the state’s needs, and that the vaccine will be made available to progressively wider groups through a three-phase process.
“There will not be enough vaccine initially for all who want to receive it,” Ehresmann said.
In the first phase the vaccine will not be available to the public but will be administered locally and regionally to targeted groups. The second phase will focus on broader distribution to those most vulnerable to the virus, Ehresmann said. The third phase will be widespread availability to the general public, with an emphasis on ensuring the vaccine is distributed fairly.
“We know there is a lot of excitement and people will have more questions,” Ehresmann said. “It will take some time for the vaccine to be rolled out to everyone who wants it.”
County updates focus on vaccine
Interest in the vaccine also was keen at Tuesday’s meeting of the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners as Public Health Director Amy Westbrook presented an update.
“In northeast Minnesota we’re taking a regional approach,” Westbrook said. “There will be a small amount of vaccine coming to the region and we will have to prioritize in subgroups where that goes.”
Commissioner Keith Nelson pressed Westbrook for a more specifics.
“When are we going to have some definitive timelines as to vaccine availability?” he asked. “The questions out there are causing a lot of apprehension and that is something we can ill afford.”
Westbrook noted many of the same things covered by Ehresmann. As for the general public? “We’ll be looking for that to happen into 2021.”
Nelson responded
“There’s this huge debate out there whether to take the vaccine or not,” he said. “As one citizen I have full trust and faith in our system. But what steps are we taking locally, because people are going to be more apt to believe the local health agencies that this is safe.”
Westbrook acknowledged that there may not be “the total confidence we’re looking for,” and said that the state health department is planning an educational campaign but that nothing had been planned locally.
“I would encourage our public health service in St. Louis County to plan something,” Nelson responded.
Commissioner Patrick Boyle was less concerned about a vaccine and more worried about the current rapid rise in cases in the county.
“I feel like we’re putting the cart before the horse,” Boyle said. “I’m still worried about where we’re at. We still have four to five weeks of intense hospitalization and ICU stays. Where are we at with our hospital beds? What is our public health team saying to those folks when it comes to the holidays?”
Westbrook echoed his concerns.
“I don’t want to speak for the hospitals, but statewide and regionally they’re really close to capacity,” she said. “We’re seeing a lot of transmission occur outside of confined settings. We won’t see the effects of Thanksgiving for another week or so. I don’t know what will happen for the Christmas holiday, but we’re concerned. It’s not a good forecast for the next couple of months.”
Federal development
An advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control provided some additional direction late Tuesday when it recommended the first round of vaccines should go to frontline healthcare workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. CDC Director Robert Redfield and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar will have to approve the recommendations for them to become official CDC guidance for states.