Thread by @bnhanson

Ok, y’all. LOTS of big vaccine news & I know we all have Qs about what it means. Here’s what we know—& don’t—about how a vaccine will make its way across the US.

Let’s Break It Down: A Vaccine Distribution Thread™️ (hold on to your butts; it's a long one)

(1/14) #NPRShortWave

A) Even the most effective, safest coronavirus vaccine won't work to curb the spread of the virus unless a large number of people get immunized. And that’s gonna take HELLA logistics. npr.org/2020/11/11/933…

B) How close are we to having a vaccine ready?

There are 4 vaccines in the final phase of clinical study in the U.S. The FDA is responsible to approve giving the vaccines to the public. That hasn’t happened for any of them yet. npr.org/sections/healt…

C) That said, there's promising news about 2 vaccines (Pfizer & Moderna). It’s early, but looks like both could be pretty effective.

BUT the FDA needs a couple more weeks of follow-up and make sure the results hold & there are no bad side effects. npr.org/2020/11/12/934…

D) Even though no vaccine has been approved yet, big batches are already being made so distribution can start w/in 24 hours of approval.

So, states are scrambling RIGHT NOW to make plans for how to actually get the vaccine into people’s arms locally. npr.org/sections/healt…

E) Who will get it first? CDC will set national guidelines on this. So far, these groups are expected:

1⃣ Health care workers
2⃣ Essential workers
3⃣ Ppl w/ high risk medical conditions
4⃣ People 65+
npr.org/sections/healt…

F) What about everyone else?

Ppl under 65, healthy & able to work from home, are prob last in line. Operation Warp Speed officials say they expect wide availability middle of next year (think summer 2021), but that's very optimistic. Other estimates say could be much longer.

G) Let’s talk LOGISTICS.

Military is in charge of coordinating logistics, but they’re not expected to physically move doses or inject any vaccines into people's arms. npr.org/2020/10/27/928…

H) The government has partnered w/ private companies to move big boxes of vaccines from storage to pharmacies & hospitals & places where people will get them, but there is one critical challenge ...

I) The 2 vaccines furthest along have to be stored in really cold temperatures. Especially the Pfizer once. It needs to be kept at least -70 degree Celsius which is close to the temperature of dry ice & those freezers are v costly.

J) Where’s all the $ coming from for this?

The fed government says they’re footing the costs of the vaccine itself. But there are LOTS of worries about distribution costs b/c there are other expenses like paying vaccinators, training, data systems, etc. npr.org/2020/08/17/903…

K) A group representing state health officials sent a letter to Congress asking for $8.4 billion for for states, but additional $ has not been approved by Congress and we don’t know when COVID package might get through.

L) So who exactly is going to pay for this, and how much the states will have to bear themselves, is an open question. And a REALLY important one going forward.

AND A BIG FREAKING HAT TIP TO @Pien_Huang & @maddie_sofia for all of this reporting. Y'all rock. Go science! (14/14)

If this was helpful for you, you'll find LOTS more interesting and easy to understand science stuff (including coronavirus coverage) on the #NPRShortWave podcast. Check it out here ... or wherever you podcast: npr.org/podcasts/51035…

One addition to this thread ! This AM on @UpFirst, @selenasd & @rachelnpr talked in more detail about the cold storage issue lots of folks asked me about yesterday. Have a listen here! npr.org/2020/11/15/935…

And here's @selenasd full @nprscience reporting on the issue. npr.org/sections/healt…