It
has been a couple weeks since Louisiana received its first COVID-19 vaccines.
Of those, all 39,000 Pfizer vaccines went to staff in New Orleans area
hospitals.
News
of the first Louisiana vaccines was big enough to be covered in California by
SFGate, a paper with a focus on the Bay Area. Why would a San Francisco paper
be interested in vaccinations happening at Ochsner Health in Jefferson Parish?
Maybe they have a soft spot for NOLA. Or maybe, it's fitting for a Silicon
Valley outlet to report on Ochsner turning the event into a livestream. Footage
of medical workers receiving the first shots in the state was broadcasted via
the internet; it was peak 2020.
The
Pfizer vaccine is not a one-and-done, but rather a first of two required doses
for immunity. Despite these technicalities, the gravity of the moment at
Ochsner was not lost. John Bel Edwards was in attendance at the Ochsner
vaccination livestream. He stated that Louisiana was expecting 40,000 vaccines
to arrive this week, with even more Moderna vaccines to follow.
The
good vaccination news comes at a time when Louisiana finds itself in the grips
of a devastating third wave. On December 20, the Louisiana Department of Health
reported 65 deaths, the highest number of in a single day since July 29.
Nearing the end of the pandemic means grappling with optimistic joy while
continuing to live through the sorrow.
The
vaccine is good news with a caveat attached—limited availability. The Centers
for Disease Control state that "healthcare personnel and residents of long-term
care facilities should be offered the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines." There
is no definitive timeline for when most people can expect a vaccine. The CDC
simply states that "as vaccine availability increases, vaccination
recommendations will expand to include more groups."
In
Louisiana, the first steps outlined by the CDC have already begun. They will
continue into January, as more vaccines arrive. When vaccines are available for
the public, The Louisiana Department of Health will release information on where
to go. This stage is unofficially estimated to begin in mid-2021, according to The Times-Picayune.
As
the vaccine is made available, hopes rise, but so do questions. How are the
vaccines getting here? The answer is Operation Warp Speed.
Though
SciFi in name—borrowed from Star Trek—Operation
Warp Speed is the partnership between the CDC, the Department of Health and
Human Services, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and
the Department of Defense. These federal agencies working together along with
private firms can more effectively order and distribute the vaccines from
manufacturers.
Operation
Warp Speed does not mean corners were cut in the quality or safety of the
vaccine. Recent headlines have fixated on a miscalculation in Operation Warp
Speed's estimates of how many doses of vaccines states will receive. Newsweek covered Gustave Perna's apology
for promising states more than could be delivered. While disappointing, this
mistake does not reflect on the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine.
To
skeptics, concerns over the sooner-than-expected arrival of the Pfizer and
Moderna vaccine authorizations have clouded the moment. Is the shot too fast to
trust? Infectious disease specialist Dr. Manisha Juthani explained on NPR's All Things Considered that while the
vaccine arrived quickly, the science and technology behind the COVID-19 vaccine
have had decades of research leading up to this moment. Medicine has rapidly
advanced since the invention of the smallpox vaccine in 1796. Still, it remains
normal to have questions or concerns, which is why the CDC makes up-to-date
information available on their website.
While
news of the vaccine is something to get excited about, it's important to
remember that the vaccine is preventative, not curative. It's crucial to continue
our best efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The first batches of
vaccines mean finally receiving a hazy answer to the tortuous question: When
will this end? Through the haze, we know that we are not there yet, but an end
is in sight.
