NEW YORK CITY- For many people, the news about a possible vaccine being in its last steps was cause for celebration. However, experts say distribution will be just as complicated. Having to quickly make hundreds of millions of vaccines-- enough for everyone to get two doses, then getting them to hospitals, clinics, pharmacies is a whole new challenge. Once Pfizer gets the go ahead from the FDA, which is expected, they will be able to vaccinate millions of Americans by the end of 2020.

The collaboration between Pfizer and federal agencies, state governments and health workers will be key. Employees at healthcare providers will need to be trained on how to handle the vaccine as to not waste anything. For example, the vaccine must be stored at -94 degrees F.

“We have a lot of confusion at the state and the local health departments level, and a lot of concern about the nitty-gritty of deployment,” said Dr. Saad B. Omer, the director of the Yale Institute for Global Health. “Which places, where to vaccinate, how to get the vaccine there, how to identify people in various risk groups, how to document, how to call back people for the second dose.”

Nine other companies are also in the final stage of testing. If one of these other manufacturers receive FDA approval before Pfizer, they will replace the company as a frontrunner. Specificities have not been released, but Pfizer plans to ship the vaccine to large hospitals and healthcare workers or other vulnerable groups. The vaccines will go into vials, which go into trays, then the trays will go into cooler-type boxes and Pfizer plans to have about 100,000 coolers by December.

Each state will have the decision of who to give vaccines to first.

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