Riverside County working on plan for COVID-19 vaccine distribution

There is promising news in the race for a vaccine both Moderna and Pfizer now waiting for crucial safety data before applying for FDA emergency authorization expected in the coming weeks after they said both their vaccines were found to be more than 90-percent effective in early trial results.

News Channel 3's Dani Romero reports how the distribution of the vaccine would look here at home.

Coachella Valley hospitals like Eisenhower Health are still trying to figure out what the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan will look like for their employees. 

“are we really talking about all 4,000 in the first wave or only a small subset of those and the first wave," said Dr. Alan Williamson. "Do we mandate that the healthcare workers get vaccinated against COVID-19?"

Dr. Alan Williamson from Eisenhower Health said they understand California’s plan in rolling out the coronavirus vaccine to the high risk category. 

But it’s still unclear who from that population will be getting those doses first.  

“Frontline, healthcare workers: what's the definition of that? Are we talking only about physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, EMT, and so on," said Dr. Williamson. "Are we talking about all of the staff in the hospital who are potentially exposed at the workplace?"

Riverside County health officials plan to mirror the state’s and federal’s guidance and clarified just who will be first in line for the vaccination. 

“Healthcare personnel that care for COVID patients and first responders, police, fire, EMS people that's phase one," said Jose Arballo, Public Information Specialist for Riverside County Health.

County spokesperson Jose Arballo said there will be three phases. Phase one is broken up into two parts. 

“Phase one (b) is other essential workers like, food production personnel, teachers, school officials, , childcare providers those would be the second, group essential workers, people at high risk, those that live in congregate care facilities and nursing homes, things like that," said Arballo. "Phase two would be whatever's leftover from phase one and critical populations within the general public. And then phase three would be for the general public itself.” 

County health officials said the general public will probably be getting the vaccine early next year. 

But there are still other questions at play as the county tries to strategize their plans. 

“How it gets distributed to either the hospitals or different locations, whether the hospitals themselves do the vaccination or whether some other means is done those are part of the things that are still being worked out," said Arballo.

The county is hoping to finalize the distribution plans by next week.