North Kent News

A COVID-19 vaccine has been advanced to the level of approval  by an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to Bridge Michigan.

The Pfizer vaccine was given approval this week, which will result in 250,000 vaccine doses being delivered from Pfizer and Moderna to the state of Michigan. There are concerns, however, over the demand for the vaccine, which far outnumbers the supply, as 10,752 Michigan residents have died from the virus and almost 438,000 have been infected since the start of the pandemic, according to Michigan.gov.

The vaccine was voted 17-4 to be recommended by the members of an FDA advisory committee, but given the accelerated time line in which the vaccine was developed, questions are being raised about the risks to those who would receive it.

One consumer advocate for drug safety, Kim Witczak, told Bridge Michigan that the long- and short-term effects of the vaccine are unknown, given that only two months’ of data was submitted. 

Those on the other side of the argument, however, point to the 1.5 million deaths globally, claiming that the risks of adverse effects of the vaccine are far outweighed by its potential to save lives. 

While the state of Michigan has reported, through the Department of Health and Human Services, that it will receive 84,825 doses of the vaccine from Pfizer and 173,600 doses of the vaccine from Moderna, the exact details of when the vaccine will be available are unknown. Additionally, it is possible that the estimates of the number of vaccines available may differ. 

Michigan is home to 45 local health departments, all of which will jump in and do their part to distribute the vaccine.

Ingham County Health Department reported that it will use the systems that were set up with the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 to ensure that the delivery of vaccines is handled in an expedited and professional manner.

Pfizer says it is supplying over 33 million doses in the U.S. by the end of the year. Distribution will begin as soon as the final approval is granted by the FDA, Pfizer officials told Bridge Michigan.

The risk category that individuals fall into will determine the speed with which the vaccine will be available. Health care workers and the most vulnerable -- including the elderly, homeless, rural community dwellers and other marginalized individuals -- will be prioritized in getting the vaccine as soon as possible.