Sandoval County issued the following announcement on Dec. 15.
New Mexico Department of Health Secretary-Designate Dr. Tracie Collins provided an update on the first COVID-19 vaccine to make its way to New Mexico. The first doses of the Pfizer vaccine, approved by the FDA for emergency use, arrived in our state yesterday (Dec. 14) with 17,550 expected in this first shipment for the entire state. Throughout this week, 30 hospitals in New Mexico will receive doses of the vaccine for use on high-risk to medium-risk frontline healthcare workers. Here are a few facts from the NM Department of Health:
- The first doses to arrive are the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two doses. The second dose must be administered 21 days after the first dose. There is a 15-minute observation period after the vaccine is administered, and immunity does not take place until approximately seven days after the second dose.
- The FDA, CDC and New Mexico Advisory team all reviewed the Pfizer vaccine data and agreed that it is appropriate for use.
- Receiving the vaccine, no matter which brand, does not mean that COVID Safety Measures will go away. The vaccine is intended to prevent disease in the person receiving it, but there is not enough data available yet about whether or not the person can still transmit the disease. Therefore, even after the second dose of a vaccine, individuals will still need to wear masks, practice social distancing, wash hands, avoid gatherings and practice other COVID Safety Measures.
- Once our second doses of vaccine arrive, the next group to receive them will be more healthcare workers and long-term care facility workers and residents. The plans for that distribution are still being developed. It is likely that the Moderna vaccine, if approved by the FDA, will be used for long-term care facilities.
Original source can be found here.
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