'Hope Has Arrived': CA's First Doses Of Vaccine Land In State

LOS ANGELES, CA — Californians will begin receiving the first coronavirus vaccinations Monday morning, the day after the state set new records for COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Hundreds of thousands of Pfizer's two-dose coronavirus vaccines arrived in California on Sunday night, and medical workers up and down the state will be inoculated within hours afterward.

The state is expected to receive more than 300,000 vaccines this week, far short of the total needed to inoculate California’s 2.4 million health care workers. By month’s end, state officials expect to receive more than 2 million vaccines — enough to inoculate 1 million health care workers. The shortage means that doses will be meted out over the course of months, with the average resident unlikely to have access until spring or summer.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was slated to visit a hospital in Los Angeles County at 12:15 p.m. Monday to witness the first administrations of the Pfizer vaccine to health care workers.

In the meantime, the new cases are skyrocketing, and COVID-19 hospitalizations have overwhelmed hospitals in the San Joaquin Valley and across Southern California. California set a grim new record for COVID-19 deaths Friday, when 218 deaths were reported across the state. Still, Monday marks the beginning of the end of the pandemic that has claimed nearly 21,000 lives in California.

"Hope has arrived," Newsom tweeted with a photo of the first shipment landing Sunday night at Los Angeles International Airport.

Around midday, Newsom is scheduled to visit a Los Angeles County hospital "that will administer some of the first doses to health care workers."

SEE ALSO:

• Coronavirus Vaccine: Most In CA Want, But Many Have Concerns
• Coming To California: What We Know About The Vaccine Rollout
• Alameda's U.S. Coast Guard Base One Of 16 Bases To Get Vaccine

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State and county officials have released limited information about where the vaccines are being stored “in the interest of the safety of the workers at these sites.” However, several hospitals announced plans to begin inoculating acute care workers Monday including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Health in Los Angeles, Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, UC San Francisco Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center in Redding and UC Davis Health in Sacramento, the Los Angeles Times reported.

As trade groups jockey for their workers to be first in line to receive vaccines, hospital officials sought to assure the public that vaccines would be distributed fairly to those most in need rather than those with power and means.

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"UCLA Health is implementing comprehensive and detailed plans to receive, store and administer COVID-19 vaccinations. We anticipate a limited number of doses arriving in the next day or two, with additional supplies to follow. We have been designated as a regional hub for distribution to other acute care hospitals," a UCLA Health statement said.

"Based on the phased allocations made available to UCLA Health, we are committed to offering vaccinations in a fair, equitable and orderly manner that prioritizes those at greatest risk, consistent with guidelines established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the California and Los Angeles County departments of public health. UCLA Health anticipates beginning to inoculate our own front-line health care workers as soon as Wednesday."

The head of the CDC signed off on the recommendation of an advisory committee Sunday, officially permitting the vaccine to be administered in the United States. It is said to be 95 percent effective in preventing the coronavirus. The Pfizer vaccine was co-developed by German partner BioNTech. It needs to be stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Experts representing a coalition of West Coast states also signed off on the vaccine’s safety Sunday night, paving the way for mass vaccinations Monday.

By sending the doses directly to skilled nursing facilities, the vaccine can be administered right away instead of waiting for a federal agreement with CVS and Walgreens to begin on roughly Dec. 28. A second vaccine made by Moderna is pending FDA approval, but public health officials in California anticipate approval and distribution of that vaccine as early as next week.

After the distribution of vaccines is completed to health care workers, skilled nursing facilities and long-term care staff and residents, priority will then move to "essential workers" and then to people at highest risk of severe illness from the virus, such as seniors or those with underlying health conditions.

Between now and the end of the pandemic, thousands more will die from the disease in California, and the arrival of the vaccine does not negate the stay-home orders currently affecting 33 million Californians.

“To help end this pandemic and move toward phased vaccine distribution across our state, we are calling on all Californians to continue doing their part by following local and state guidance, wearing a mask and staying home,” Newsom said.

Who will receive the first dose?

Health care workers and residents of "long-term care facilities," will receive the first dose, Newsom has said.

During Phase 1a of the rollout, state officials have drawn up the following three tiers of Californians who will be eligible to receive the first dose:

Tier 2

• Intermediate care facilities for persons who need non-continuous nursing supervision and supportive care
• Home health care and in-home supportive services
• Community health workers
• Public health field staff
• Primary Care clinics, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Centers, correctional facility clinics, and urgent care clinics

Tier 3

Other settings and health care workers, including

• Specialty clinics
• Laboratory workers
• Dental and other oral health clinics
• Pharmacy staff not working in settings at higher tiers

Staff Patcher Kat Schuster and City News Service contributed to this report