Rhode Island Prepares For Coronavirus Vaccine

PROVIDENCE, RI — Following this week's announcement of a promising COVID-19 vaccine that could be as much as 90 percent effective, Gov. Gina Raimondo said the state "isn't sitting around waiting," and is instead formulating a plan to effectively distribute a vaccine as soon as it is widely available.

Last month, Raimondo announced the formation of a special subcommittee entirely focused on a coronavirus vaccine. The panel was tasked with developing a distribution strategy and creating independent guidelines to test the safety of an approved vaccine.

The latest announcements from developers said that the vaccine could be ready to go as soon as next month. If that's the case, Rhode Island will begin its phased distribution of doses, starting with the highest-risk individuals such as healthcare workers, people with two or more underlying health conditions and nursing home residents. The next phase would include teachers, public-facing employees and other higher-risk populations. Finally, phase three will include the general population, including younger people and others who are the least at risk of developing serious complications or dying from the virus.

Raimondo said she hopes the vaccine will be widely available to Rhode Islanders in early 2021.

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