First wave of COVID-19 vaccines could be in South Lake Tahoe next week

The Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine may be in South Lake Tahoe by the end of next week, pending authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The vaccine gained approval by a panel of 22 experts on Thursday by a vote of 17-4 in favor of recommending the FDA give it the green light (one panelist abstained).

The FDA is likely to authorize the vaccine within days, giving front line health care workers and nursing home residents first priority on receiving the first of two necessary shots. The initial shipment of 6.4 million doses will leave warehouses within 24 hours of being cleared by the F.D.A., according to federal officials. Half of those doses will be stored to provide the needed second booster needed three weeks after the initial shot.

"Barton Health is scheduled to receive its first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, if approved, by the end of next week," said Barton CEO/President Dr. Clint Purvance. "This first round will allow us to vaccinate 500 of Barton’s employees, physicians and skilled nursing residents as identified by CDC and CDPH guidelines."

The next expected vaccine to be approved by the FDA is the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. That should be received by Barton by the end of December, allowing the remaining workforce at Barton, including physicians, to be vaccinated.

"Planning has been underway for receipt and distribution of the vaccine," added Dr. Purvance. "Barton will follow CDC and CDPH guidelines to determine who should receive the first allotments of the vaccination."

Once those two phases are completed the general community rollout would take place by spring of 2021 as long as FDA approvals and vaccine availability go as expected, according to Dr. Purvance.