Waiting for the COVID vaccine

M
any people have been asking about the COVID-19 vaccine, and how and when it will reach our community.
The COVID-19 vaccine has quite a journey to complete before it reaches local communities. The vaccine is still in the approval process phase. There are several phases of approval the vaccine must go through before it will be released for distribution. The approval of the vaccine is dependent on the data presented for safety and effectiveness. 
The first step of approval will begin with the Federal Drug Administration. The FDA will study the data presented from the pharmaceutical companies who have developed the COVID-19 vaccine. 
When the FDA approves a COVID-19 vaccine for use, these recommendations will then be presented to the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practice. The ACIP is an independent committee that has been involved in the approval process of vaccines since the 1950s. The ACIP will study the data presented for safety and effectiveness and make their recommendations for approval to the CDC director. The CDC director will make the final approval and the distribution of the vaccine will begin.
The CDC will initiate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses to the states. The allotment of vaccines will be based on a tier level system. The tier level system will provide the sequence in which groups of people will be vaccinated based on risk factors. The military will have the monumental task of transporting the vaccine safely and securely to each state.
When the COVID-19 vaccine reaches the Wyoming Department of Health, the distribution allotments to each county will be initiated. Weston County Public Health has plans in place to receive and store and vaccinate each risk group as designated by CDC/WDH protocols. We ask that you be patient during this COVID-19 vaccination roll out. This is an unprecedented task that our nation is embarking upon and timelines will undoubtedly be adjusted based on situations as they evolve.
WCPH will inform Weston County residents of any significant updates as they occur. We want to take this opportunity to make it clear, COVID-19 vaccinations are completely voluntary. As of this date we do not have a definitive date when vaccines will arrive or when vaccinations will begin. We will make these notifications to the public in the newspapers as well as the radio station as they become available.