Top trending: Delaware vaccination figure stands at 14,113 doses

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Clinical Educator Brittany Oakley, right, gives Medical Director for Emergency Services Dr. Kelly Abbrescia the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Bayhealth's Kent County Campus COVID-19 vaccination clinic Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, in Dover. The hospital began giving vaccinations to fontline employees early Tuesday morning.
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As of  Thursday, Dec. 31, Delaware has administered 14,113 doses of  Covid -19 vaccine, according to the state’s dashboard.

So far, about 1.1  percent of the state’s population has received the first dose of the vaccine. That’s roughly the rate of vaccinations for the nation as a whole.

The pace is expected to pick up in the coming weeks as shipments are received. Current supplies would be exhausted quickly if mass vaccinations took place.

Reporting of vaccination figures from individual providers are also subject to delays.

To date,  the state has received a combined  43,000 combined doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, with no new shipments received in recent days. Vaccinations will require two doses, with locations from the federal Warp Speed program  based on the state’s population. 

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Nursing homes are expected to receive vaccines that will be administered under a federal program that will use chain drug store pharmacists.

Clinical Educator Brittany Oakley, right, gives Medical Director for Emergency Services Dr. Kelly Abbrescia the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Bayhealth’s Kent County Campus Covid-19 vaccination clinic Tuesday, Dec. 15  in Dover. The hospital began giving vaccinations to frontline employees early Tuesday morning.

Officials in other states have criticized the slow rollout of the vaccines. However, Delaware officials have emphasized that federal estimates were never set in stone.

In Delaware unhappiness has been expressed in social media posts over the pace of vaccinations.

A map from the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  indicated that Delaware is near the national average when it comes to the number of vaccinations per 100,000 residents. Standouts in administering vaccines include some New England States, Vermont, the Dakotas and West Virginia.

According to the CDC dashboard, Vermont, which has about 300,000 fewer people than Delaware, has administered more doses of vaccine than the First State.

The CDC reported that 2.8 million Americans have received their first vaccination, below initial goals of  20 million being vaccinated by the end of  2020. The administration says the numbers are higher since health care institutions often delay reporting vaccination figures.


Delaware’s latest Covid-19 vaccination statistics can now be found under public health’s Vaccine Tracker dashboard at de.gov/healthycommunity.


Delaware vaccinations are about  3,000 greater than the number reported on state-by-state dashboards.

A few states, notably Florida, have opted for some senior citizens to receive vaccines on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The result has  been long lines of elderly, some fragile, waiting for shots. Despite the first-come, first-serve strategy, Florida’s vaccination rate in the same range  as Delaware’s more focused approach.

In  the pipeline are vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson that have not submitted data needed for an emergency use designation from the Food and Drug Administration. Dozens of other vaccines are undergoing trials in what will be a lengthy worldwide effort to control the virus.

Both the J&J and AZ vaccines are less expensive than the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and will be needed in efforts to vaccinate a majority of Americans.

The  Delaware Division of Public Health has set up a Vaccine Call Center, which can now be reached at 1-833-643-1715.

People who are deaf and hard of hearing should call 2-1-1 or text their zip code to 898-211.

Individuals can email their questions concerning the vaccine to Vaccine@Delaware.gov and visit de.gov/covidvaccine for more information. The call center will be closed on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2021.

Below is a tentative timetable for vaccinations. The state recently announced that those over 65 along with essential workers will be included in the next stage of immunizations that could get underway between mid-January and mid to late February. The pace of vaccinations will depend on getting shipments to the state.

 

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