As we all try to stay safe during this pandemic, there is hope in the form of several vaccines that are being tested and showing promise. While vaccination for most of us is months away, the state of South Dakota is forming a plan to get the vaccine out to those who need it most, first.
The first vaccine we expect to get in South Dakota is the Pfizer vaccine which is the first one to have applied for approval from the FDA. Front line health care workers will be the first to be vaccinated, second will probably be our friends and loved ones in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, then critical infrastructure workers like teachers, firefighters, first responders and law enforcement.
“And then the other critical populations will be people with underlying health conditions and people of older ages where we know Covid can be more impactful,” said South Dakota Secretary of Health, Kim Malsom-Rysdon.
The length of time it will take to vaccinate people will depend on how much vaccine is allocated to South Dakota. So far that number seems to be something that is hard to nail down at this point.
“We were told last week we could expect 24,000 doses in that first initial shipment, that number did change for South Dakota as it did for all other states and it’s been reduced, the latest number we’re hearing is about 15,000, but again that has been changing and so as we get more information we’ll be sure to share that, said Malsom-Rysdon.
According to the Health Department’s website, personal immunization reminder cards will be provided to everyone who gets the vaccine. They will include your vaccine information and a reminder if a second dose is needed.