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CORONAVIRUS IN DELAWARE

Delaware health care workers could begin receiving COVID-19 vaccines in early December

Brandon Holveck
Delaware News Journal

Delaware residents could begin receiving COVID-19 vaccines as soon as Dec. 11, state officials said Tuesday afternoon.

The first doses will go to front-line health care workers, though doses for the general public could be available as early as March, according to Dr. Karyl Rattay, the director of the Delaware Division of Public Health.

Previously, health officials said a limited amount of COVID-19 vaccines could be available for high-risk groups at the end of December, and the vaccine would likely be widely available by late spring or early summer.

Martha Dorsey of Bear receives a flu vaccination from Valerie Lindsey at ChristianaCare's Primary Care at New Castle facility Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020.

The announcement comes as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Delaware and throughout the country. Delaware on Tuesday reported 438 new cases, raising the seven-day average for new cases to an all-time high of 440.7.

The state also reported five new deaths and 185 hospitalizations – the most since May 27.

SEE THE NUMBERS:Tracking coronavirus cases in Delaware

At his weekly coronavirus press briefing, Gov. John Carney urged Delawareans to "lean into" mitigation measures such as mask wearing and social distancing to "flatten the curve" once more before the vaccine becomes widely available.

"The cavalry is on its way," Carney said.

Delaware Gov. John Carney gives an update on the state's coronavirus response in Wilmington on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, at the Carvel State Office Building.

Front-line health care workers will receive the first vaccines, followed by other vulnerable populations such as people over 65, those in long-term care facilities and public safety workers. The state has an ethics advisory group working with the Division of Public Health to prioritize who will receive the early vaccines.

By March, when the agency is hopeful vaccines will be widely available, shots will be administered by pharmacies (similar to the flu shot) and primary care providers. The state is also preparing to host vaccine clinics, similar to the drive-thru testing events they've staged during the pandemic.

Optimism around the prospect of a COVID-19 vaccine has been growing since Nov. 9, when Pfizer, a New-York based biopharmaceutical company, announced its vaccine – made in collaboration with the German company BioNTech – was over 90% effective in early findings.

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Other vaccine makers, including Moderna and AstraZeneca, have produced similar results.

Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the Delaware Division of Public Health gives an update on the state's coronavirus response in Wilmington on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020 at the Carvel State Building.

If the Federal Drug Administration approves the Pfizer vaccine at a committee meeting on Dec. 10, Delaware officials have been told the state will receive a batch of vaccines within 24 hours. The meeting will focus on the Pfizer vaccine, but it's possible the Moderna vaccine will be approved as well, Rattay said.

At the press briefing, they listed Dec. 11-14 as the possible window for the first vaccine distribution.

The first weekly batches will be very small, Rattay said. Delaware is expecting to receive 8,000 Pfizer vaccines and 7,000 Moderna vaccines each week when the vaccines first become available.

Health officials have warned that once the vaccine becomes widely available, the pandemic won't suddenly be over.

In an interview with Kaiser Health News, the nation's leading infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, said he expects public health measures like mask wearing to continue until the country "starts approaching normal" in the third or fourth quarter of 2021.

Governor John Carney speaks during his weekly press conference on the state of COVID-19 in Delaware Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, at the Carvel State Building in Wilmington.

In the interim, health officials in Delaware are very concerned about a spike in cases after the Thanksgiving holiday, especially if residents travel and gather in large groups indoors.

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They expect the number of hospitalizations and deaths to continue increasing in the coming days, even if case counts drop, as both numbers tend to lag behind case increases.

Delaware's death toll increased to 757 on Tuesday. Fifty-two people have died in the last month alone, 16 more than in Delaware's worst flu season.

"We have every reason to believe that number will go up," Rattay said.

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @holveck_brandon.