By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Mosaic Life Care is making preparations to distribute COVID-19 vaccinations to frontline health workers when the FDA gives final approval and the state begins distribution.
Mosaic Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Davin Turner, says distribution of the Pfizer vaccine could begin this weekend. He says Missouri has designated 10 hubs to distribute the vaccine.
“We are not one of those particular sites,” Turner tells reporters during a news conference in St. Joseph. “However, we will get vaccine very rapidly just as they do. These 10 sites are where they’re going to hold vaccine mostly to distribute out.”
An independent committee of the United States Food and Drug Administration has recommended the FDA grant emergency authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech. The FDA is expected to follow its recommendation. Approval could come soon. A vaccine by Moderna is expected to come before the panel next week.
Turner says the state has designated 10 hubs to distribute its share of the Pfizer vaccine. Turner expects to see the first supply soon.
“Depending on when that arrives and this is very fluid, we will start vaccinations quite rapidly,” Turner says. “If we receive this vaccine by say the 21st or the 22nd of this month, we will start vaccinating before Christmas.”
Turner says front-line health care workers will be the first in line for the vaccine. He says the general public likely will not be able to get vaccinated until later in the summer.
Turner says Mosaic will not mandate that caregivers be vaccinated.
“This technology is not new. It has been around for a couple of decades,” Turner says. “However, it is new in this particular setting. So, we understand why there is some fear out there. However, right now, the majority of all of our caregivers and providers are saying they plan to take the vaccine.”
Turner says all Mosaic executives will be vaccinated.
“We believe in the technology and we believe the technology is safe and we will receive the vaccine.”