SARASOTA- Phizer, Moderna, and Astra-Zeneca all say they have a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, and while they wait on FDA approval, Sarasota Memorial Hospital is prepping for whatever they can get.
“I cannot wait to get my vaccine.” Dr. Manny Gordillo said.
Highly effective vaccines from three different companies ready in less than a year is a result of over a decade of scientific research on how to get safe vaccines faster.
“If a pandemic were to come there was no time to react,” Dr. Gordillo said. “So over the past 10 years there are scientists in programs in the United States that have been going on to deal with this particular situation.”
When the FDA approves the vaccines, public health gets to work.
“The scientists have done their part,” Dr.Gordillo said. “Now is when we need to put ourselves to work.”
SMH is putting a plan in place.
“We’re already talking about the freezers,” Dr. Fiorica said. “Having the freezers for the low temperatures to be able to store the vaccine, we’ve already met with pharmacy to be able to distribute, to compound it and get it prepared.”
They have filled out regulatory paperwork with the state, detailing who is waiting to see how many doses will be sent .
“We’re waiting for their response as to how they’re going to distribute,” Dr. Fiorica said. “And how much will be available, but our goal is to as much as the vaccine as they give us that we can distribute.”
And there will be a hierarchy of distribution in the hospital too, Dr. Gordillo could still be waiting a little longer for the vaccine.
“If they give us 20 vaccines,” Dr. Gordillo said. “I don’t want to be the first one to be vaccinated, I want somebody that is doing the care for hours with ICU patients.”
The FDA could approve the Phizer vaccine as soon as their meeting on December 10th.