75,000 Kansans to get COVID-19 vaccinations by month’s end, Gov. Kelly announces
An estimated 75,000 Kansans will be vaccinated for COVID-19 by the end of the month, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday afternoon.
Kelly said that Kansas is expecting its initial shipments of vaccines by mid-December from two pharmaceutical companies — Pfizer and Moderna.
Overall, Kelly said she expects 150,000 doses to arrive in Kansas through December. Each patient will get two doses for fullest effect, which means the state will be able to vaccinate 75,000 people.
The first shipment, expected Dec. 10, will be from Pfizer and consist of 24,000 doses, enough for 12,000 people, she said. Moderna will follow about a week later with 49,000 doses, she said.
Follow-up shipments will be coming on a weekly basis, she said.
The first to receive vaccinations will be front-line health care workers and nursing home residents.
The workers are at the greatest risk of infection by the coronavirus and the elderly are at the greatest risk of dying if they get it.
The second phase will go to persons 65 and older who are deemed “non-high-risk,” she said.
The third and final phase, vaccinating those under 65, will start this winter and continue into the spring, she said.
More than 200 providers have signed up to administer the vaccines and more are being added daily, Kelly said.
The vaccine itself will be free to consumers, although health-care providers can charge a fee to administer the shot.
No one will be turned away for inability to pay, Kelly said.
The Pfizer vaccine has to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures and the state is building a network of sites with that capability. The location of the sites will be kept secret for security reasons, she said.
The Moderna vaccine is more durable and doesn’t require the special handling, Kelly said.
The state is also expecting to receive doses of a vaccine from the British pharmaceutical company AstraZenica, but that vaccine hasn’t yet cleared required clinical trials.
Kelly urged people to accept the vaccine when it becomes available, but in the meantime to continue adhering to state guidelines on use of masks in public places and social distancing.
“I understand some Kansans may have hesitations about getting vaccinated,” Kelly said. However, she added that the vaccines soon to be distributed “have been tested in tens of thousands of people” and passed multiple safety trials.
State Secretary of Health Dr. Lee Norman said the “warp speed” approach to the vaccines means that production and distribution have been sped up, but not the testing of vaccines for safety and effectiveness.
“Some people are vaccine hesitant about every vaccine on the planet,” Norman said. “We probably won’t do much to sway them unless they see continued problems with COVID-19 around them.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 5:13 PM.
