The Superior Express -

With the first shipments of the COVID-19 arriving in Nebraska Tuesday morning, Brodstone Memorial Hospital personnel were expecting to receive doses of the COVID-19 vaccine sooner rather than later. The exact timeline for vaccine arrival at Brodstone was said to be dependent upon state allocations. The State of Nebraska is taking a phased approached to the distribution of the vaccine to ensure the initial dosages are given to critical portions of the population. At Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings the first COVID-19 shots were given about 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

During Phase 1, vaccines will only be available for Phase 1 providers and only Phase 1 target populations will receive vaccination. The vaccine will be distributed to priority populations as determined by risk of exposure, risk of severe illness, and risk of spreading illness to others.

The phase 1 population is divided into the following sections:

• 1a. Health care and long term care facilities

• 1b. First responders, education sector, food and agriculture, correction staff, utilities and transportation.

• 1c. 65 years and older population, vulnerable populations and congregate living

Phase 2 assumes a larger availability of vaccine, likely sufficient to meet demands of the general population.

Phase 3 represents a shift towards ongoing vaccination where there is open access to the product via the more traditional network of vaccination.

“We have light on the horizon with this new vaccine that has been given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA. Here at Brodstone, we are excited to be able to provide this vaccine for our region. We look forward to the opportunity to resume somewhat of a “normal” life. In the meantime, we ask that you please continue to follow the CDC guidelines by wearing your mask, practicing social distancing and using proper hand hygiene. These preventative measures will allow us to curb exposures as we progress through the vaccination plan,” said Treg Vyzourek, Brodstone CEO.

Brodstone will continue to communicate information on the COVID-19 vaccination as it becomes available. For additional COVID-19 information please visit: http://www.brodstonehospital.org/covid-19.

The first doses of the much anticipated COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Nebraska Monday. The state was expected to receive 4,875 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of the day and is to have received 15,600 doses by week’s end.

 “We are all excited to know the Pfizer vaccine has begun to arrive in Nebraska. And although this marks the beginning of what we hope will be an end to this pandemic, we cannot forget that we must continue to slow the spread,” said Dannette Smith, department of health and human services CEO. “We must continue to be responsible and wear a mask and we must avoid the three Cs: crowded places, close contact and confined places.”

The first shipment reached Nebraska at approximately 6:55 a.m. Monday. The state agency is working with local health districts, federally qualified health centers and hospital systems to ensure an expeditious delivery process. Two hospital systems administered the first vaccines Monday and other recipients began administering the vaccine on Tuesday.

It is important to note that while we know there is much interest from the public in knowing exactly when and where the vaccine is being delivered, there are security protocols in place.

The state is not mandating the vaccine, however it is strongly encouraging that people, particularly health care workers, get vaccinated once doses become available. 

“Monday marked a path forward as the vaccine will enable our healthcare workers who have been on the frontlines of this pandemic since March to have added protection against this virus,” said Dr. Gary Anthone, chief medical officer and director of public health for the state department. “This vaccine has endured a significant amount of scrutiny during the clinical trials in which more than 40,000 individuals participated in. We are encouraging all healthcare workers that are in Phase 1A that can be vaccinated to do so as this will offer added protection to those who they are interacting with daily through their work-related duties and their personal lives.”

The potential side effects from the vaccine are similar to those experienced by people who receive the flu shot: soreness at the injection site, fever, headaches, and body aches that usually go away within 24 hours. Unless symptoms worsen or linger, there is no need to seek medical care. Pfizer reported no serious side effects from the vaccine, and there were no deaths directly linked to the vaccine itself. The FDA and CDC will continue to monitor the COVID-19 vaccine for safety and effectiveness and any long-term or rare side effects. 

The Pfizer vaccine was 90 percent effective in a phase 3 clinical trial. Comparatively, the flu vaccine is generally 40 to 60 percent effective. The COVID-19 vaccine does not contain a live virus and cannot give individuals the coronavirus. 

The Pfizer vaccine does require two doses spaced about three weeks apart to be effective. The same brand of vaccine must be administered for both doses.

INTERPOL recently issued an orange warning around the potential for a wide net of organized crime threats to target the COVID-19 vaccines both physically and online, noting that the pandemic has “already triggered unprecedented opportunistic and predatory criminal behavior.”

Unfortunately, some early attacks on key partners have already been successful. Case in point? Americold, a US-based temperature-controlled storage and distribution provider suffered a cyberattack that impacted its operations.

The attack on Americold shows that cybercriminals will target anyone they believe they can ransom or extort for money. Americold is one of the organizations involved in distributing the COVID-19 vaccines.