COVID-19 vaccine arriving in NC, Sen. Tillis and Rep. Murphy plan to take it when available
Healthcare workers at some N.C. hospitals could receive the COVID-19 vaccine as early as today. A critical care nurse in New York was among the first in the US to receive the vaccine after approval was granted.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older.
“Many believed it would take at least a year to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, but American innovation has exceeded expectations yet again,” said Congressman Greg Murphy, the only practicing physician in Congress.
His remarks were echoed by the Governor who posted a statement on Twitter. “The first doses of COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in North Carolina. It’s a limited supply for now, but this is a remarkable achievement for science and health,” said Cooper.
Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is administered as a series of two doses, three weeks apart. The vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease among these clinical trial participants.
“North Carolinians have endured tremendous hardship this year, but the FDA’s approval of a COVID-19 vaccine is a monumental achievement that can clear the path to defeating this pandemic and returning life to normal,” said U.S. Senator Thom Tillis.
In North Carolina, the COVID-19 vaccine will roll out in four phases. Phase one will be health care workers fighting COVID-19, long-term care staff and residents and adults at highest risk of severe illness or those with the highest exposure risk. Adults at high risk for exposure and at increased risk of severe illness will be part of the Phase Two rollout. Phase Three will be students and critical industry workers and Phase four will be everyone who wants the COVID-19 vaccine.
Tillis plans to take the vaccine when it becomes available. “I will be getting vaccinated next year once it is widely available to the American public and after those who are on the frontlines or are most vulnerable have already received it.”
Murphy also plans to take the vaccine. “I have the utmost confidence in the tremendous efficacy and overall safety of the Pfizer COVID vaccine. I will take it and my family will take it as soon as it becomes available to us. I encourage others to do the same”
Until the vaccine is accessible to everyone, Cooper recommends following the current guidelines. “We all need to keep wearing a mask and acting responsibly while we get as many people vaccinated as fast as we can.”
