As positive COVID cases continue to rise in Alaska, with the death tally sitting at 98 Alaskans, the focus of conversation at many proverbial water coolers has shifted to vaccinations. When will they be available? Who will be vaccinated first? Is the state going to force them on Alaskans? The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services issued a statement on Tuesday answering those questions, while also tipping Alaskans off to where they can get more answers, directly from physicians.
The state DHSS noted that safety data from COVID vaccine trials will be reviewed by the Federal Drug Administration, as well as an independent review board before any vaccine is authorized or approved. Moderna and Pfizer, the companies behind the leading vaccine candidates, have begun releasing more information about the drug protocols than usual, to ensure transparency. Both companies have announced “promising” results from initial data, leading the Department to say that “the first distribution of vaccines may be weeks away.”
Once a vaccine is authorized, healthcare workers are top priority to begin receiving it, with a timeline provided showing that the the state is preparing distributions to begin “as soon as late-November, although the date when the first doses will be available are not yet known.”
Governor Mike Dunleavy has reminded Alaskans that there are no plans for mandated or coerced vaccinations, and he has said so at virtually every opportunity he has had to discuss the topic. The DHSS release echoes that sentiment.
While the DHSS answered many questions about vaccinations, they did not aim to answer every possible question. As the preeminent “next-step” many have looked to for a reprieve from the COVID-19 emergency, information regarding vaccinations is developing rapidly. The Department recommends joining their online Vaccine ECHO teaching sessions, Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. ECHO sessions have been taking place since the pandemic began to take hold in Alaska, offering Alaskans direct access to information from some of the state’s leading physicians and epidemiologists. Registration and participation are online, and registration is as simple as clicking here.