COVID-19 vaccine subcommittee set to discuss state’s distribution plan

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island is preparing for a vaccine, so that when it becomes available, the state is ready to distribute it.

The state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Subcommittee is set to meet Friday morning over Zoom to discuss the plan for distribution.

At Governor Gina Raimondo’s press conference Thursday, she said the news of Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines are promising. They’ll submit their data this month to the FDA.

The Governor says assuming all goes well, we could have a vaccine in Rhode Island for limited group high risk people before the end of the year.

That’s why the Governor and the vaccine subcommittee are taking steps on how the vaccine will be rolled out. The group is made up of Rhode Island’s very own group of experts who will review everything there is to know about the vaccine and provide Rhode Islanders with their best opinion.

“Our local group is a layer on top of all the safety reviews that are going to be done on a national level,” Governor Gina Raimondo said. “So, when people ask me if I’d get the vaccine and I say yes it’s because I have confidence in the transparency of the process, in the process itself, and of the experts. And I like it that we have our own team of Rhode Islanders, Rhode Island experts, family, friends, looking out for us who are looking at the data.”

The vaccine will be rolled out in three phases. The first phase will go to high-risk people like healthcare workers, nursing homes and people with compromised immune systems. The second phase will go to teachers, other high-risk workers and older adults. Phase three, will go to younger people, but the Governor says if you’re young and healthy, it’s going to be a while.

“It’s going to be hard,” Governor Raimondo said. “If we thought distributing N-95’s was hard, this is much much harder. So, I want you to know, we’re not sitting around waiting for the vaccine. Right now, today, I have meetings. We are planning for the vaccine distribution so that we’re ready to hit the ground running the second we receive these vaccines.”

The Governor said she will continue to be transparent about the process. The state’s plan and subcommittee meetings are available to the public.