RI nursing homes to receive COVID vaccine starting Dec. 28 – newportri.com

PROVIDENCE — Nursing home residents and staff will begin receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 28, with the first dose expected to reach all facilities within three weeks. Administration of the second required dose will be completed in all homes by the beginning of March.

That was the word Wednesday evening from Alysia Mihalakos, co-lead of the Mass Vaccination Workgroup and chief of the state Health Department’s Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response, during a virtual media briefing.

“It feels like it’s moving slowly but it’s actually moving incredibly rapidly,” Mihalakos said during the Zoom session.

More:Vaccine arrives in RI: ‘We need to start at some point. And we can start today.’

The Dec. 28 start, Mihalakos said, was set by the federal government in its contracts with Walgreens and CVS Health, which will not only send pharmacists and technicians to the home to give the shots, but handle consent and other issues. All staff members of nursing homes will be eligible to be vaccinated, not only those who have direct contact with patients, Mihalakos said.

More:Vaccine arrives in RI: ‘We need to start at some point. And we can start today.’

More:Sore arms, energized staff, tears of joy after first RI COVID vaccines

During the call, Dr. Philip Chan, Consultant Medical Director with the Health Department’s Division of Preparedness, Response, Infectious Disease and Emergency Medical Services, debunked some of the myths and conspiracy theories that have arisen about the Pfizer vaccine.

“There’s a lot of information swirling around out there and not all of it is what I could call accurate,” Chan said.

One example Chan gave is a claim circulating on social media that the vaccine contains a microchip that could be used to send personal information to some government or other entity.

Not true, Chan said. “There’s no technology that exists to put microchips in vaccines,” Chan said.

Another example Chan cited was the claim that the vaccine can enters a recipient’s DNA. Also not true, he said.

“It’s impossible,” he said.

Also untrue, the doctor said, is that the ordinary flu vaccine provides protection against coronavirus.

Chan also addressed other issues where, he said, there has been confusion:

Pregnant and breast-feeding women who work in high-risk environments should be offered the vaccine, he said – but first, they are advised to talk to their healthcare provider.

Individuals with a history of food, environmental and other allergies should be vaccinated, he said. Individuals who have had adverse reactions to other vaccines should first discuss the Pfizer vaccine with their healthcare providers, he said.

In general, the doctor urged the public to seek information only from “legitimate sources” such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chan noted that the federal Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide on Thursday whether to grant Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna vaccine. If it is granted, as anticipated, that vaccine will begin to reach Rhode Island on Monday.

The doctor said that reports from Lifespan and Care New England hospitals where the vaccine is being rolled out this week show that the only side effects have been minor — soreness of the arm at the injection site, for example.

“Here in Rhode Island we haven’t seen anything unexpected,” Chan said.

During the virtual briefing, Tricia Washburn, of the Health Department’s Center for Preventive Services and the other co-lead of the state’s COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Workgroup, said that as of Tuesday, 4,875 doses of the Pfizer vaccine had arrived in Rhode Island, with 2,925 going to Lifespan and the remainder to Care New England. All hospitals in the state should get the vaccine this week, although the impending snowstorm could cause some delays, she said.

“We are thrilled with the progress we’ve made,” Washburn said.

The state Health Department’s COVID-19 vaccine subcommittee plans to meet Friday morning to decide on recommending use of the Moderna vaccine in Rhode Island.

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