Here Is When CT May Receive Coronavirus Vaccine

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont announced the formation of a coronavirus vaccine advisory group that will help shape Connecticut’s strategy to administer the vaccine when a safe one becomes available.

The group has three main tasks. Their first charge is to validate any Food and Drug Administration approved vaccines for safety and efficiency to give people more confidence in the process.

The group will also be tasked with coming up with a vaccine distribution strategy as initial amounts won’t be enough for everyone. Community outreach will also be a key goal to help bolster confidence in the vaccine and the distribution process.

The state Department of Public Health will submit its preliminary vaccine distribution plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by mid-October. That document will act as a rough draft for the advisory group, said Dr. Deidre Gifford, acting DPH commissioner.

The advisory group will be headed by Gifford and Dr. Reggie Eadie, president and CEO of Trinity Health of New England. It will draft members from vaccine experts, state agencies, legislative members and advocates for communities who have been hit hard by the virus. The group’s meeting will be open to the public.

“There will be a beginning phase as the governor said of this vaccine distribution where not everyone will be able to access a vaccine on day one,” Gifford said during a news conference. “And so making clear how that process will happen is one of major tasks that he’s charged the advisory group with and making clear how those decisions were made.”

The final plan will likely be completed by late fall, Gifford said.

Lamont said the White House coronavirus task force headed by Vice President Mike Pence urged him and other governors to get their vaccine distribution plans ready and to build confidence that the process leading to a vaccine will lead to a safe and effective candidate.

The advisory group doesn’t have a ton of prior experience to draw upon when it comes to vaccinating for the coronavirus. The closest thing is probably the H1N1 vaccine distribution plan, Gifford said.

The head of the federal Operation Warp Speed vaccine program said the U.S. will likely have enough vaccine doses for those most susceptible to the virus by December if a vaccine is approved. Dr. Moncef Slaoui said there would then be enough doses for most elderly people and health care workers by January and there would likely be enough vaccine for the rest of the country by April.

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