Moderna Begins Shipping 100K COVID-19 Vaccines To Maryland
MARYLAND — Moderna has begun shipping more than 104,000 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other priority sites across Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday.
It's the second vaccine of its kind to receive emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, clearing the way for more at-risk Marylanders to get their first shot before the end of 2020. The state's first shipment came from Pfizer last week.
According to Hogan's office, the state now has 191,075 total doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
Moderna vs. Pfizer Vaccine
In short: the vaccines are more alike than they are different.
They both deliver messenger RNA (mRNA) — a genetic recipe that teaches your body how to build the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus. If the real virus enters the body, your immune system will recognize and know how to fight it.
Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines require two shots. The difference: Pfizer's vaccine must be stored in ultra-low temperature freezers. Moderna's vaccine needs to be frozen, too — just not at minus 70 degrees Celcius.
Both drug companies claim their vaccine candidate is highly effective. Moderna says its vaccine has an efficacy rate of 94.1 percent, while Pfizer reports its vaccine has an efficacy rate of 95 percent. No serious side effects were reported. Some side effects that were reported in clinical trials include muscle and joint pain, fatigue, chills, fever, and headaches.
Moderna's vaccine is for people 18 years old and up. Pfizer's vaccine is authorized for people 16 and older.
Maryland's Plan For Distribution
It's going to be a little while before the vaccine has widespread circulation. The rollout is divided into four phases: 1A, 1B, 2, and 3.
Front-line healthcare workers, staff and residents of long-term care facilities, and first responders are part of Phase 1A.
In a tweet on Monday, Hogan said there soon will be enough doses to vaccinate about 90 percent of front-line hospital staff.
"Once this week's shipments are complete, enough doses will have been distributed to vaccinate approximately 90% of the state's front line hospital staff," he tweeted. "State health officials anticipate that the remainder of front line hospital staff will be covered by next week's allocations."
Here's who gets the first dose of the vaccine next:
Front Line Healthcare Workers: Every hospital in the state is receiving the first vaccine doses from Pfizer and Moderna (both are two-dose vaccines). Officials say the number of doses distributed to each hospital is based on its total number of high-risk staff (as reported to the Maryland Hospital Association).
Long-Term Care Facilities: CVS and Walgreens locations in Maryland are receiving shipments of the Pfizer vaccine for administration to nursing home residents and staff. Officials say CVS and Walgreens expect to begin vaccination clinics later this week.
Local Health Departments: Each local health department will receive an initial 100-dose shipment of the Moderna vaccine.
COVID-19 in Maryland
Like most parts of the country, Maryland is facing surging hospitalizations and infections.
On Monday, state health officials reported 2,265 new cases and 23 new deaths linked to COVID-19. That brings the statewide totals to 253,073 cases and 5,302 deaths.
Of the 1,676 patients being hospitalized for the disease statewide, 399 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
This article originally appeared on the Rockville Patch
