WKYT Fact Check | Answers to common questions about the new COVID-19 vaccine

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is distributed across the country to hospitals and long-term care facilities.

On Monday morning, health workers in Kentucky began receiving Pfizer’s vaccine. The first doses were administered at the University of Louisville Hospital.

We know you have questions about the vaccine. So, we have answers for you to the common questions that many people have about the new vaccine.

Is there enough vaccine for everyone?

No. The first FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are restricted. This would mean that not everyone can be vaccinated immediately.

The initial shipment of the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Kentucky on Sunday. As delivery continues, Kentucky is expected to receive exactly 12,675 bottles of vaccinations that will soon arrive at 11 regional and ready hospitals in Louisville, Paducah, Bowling Green, Madisonville, Pikeville, Corbin, Lexington and Edgewood, and 25,250 will be delivered to CVS and Walgreens, intended for long-term care facilities.

Approval is also expected every day for the Moderna vaccine. This month alone, Kentucky could receive 150,000 doses of vaccine.

Who gets the vaccine first?

In the first round, local hospitals and long-term care facilities in Kentucky will first receive the vaccine. Government Andy Beshear’s office says the immediate goal is to reduce COVID-19 deaths. With 66 percent of deaths due to long-term care facilities, the governors’ office believes vaccines could significantly reduce Kentucky’s COVID-19 death toll.

When will the vaccine be available to everyone in Kentucky?

The phases in which more Kentuckians will get vaccines, and the timing, are still taking place, according to the governor’s office.

In the first phase of vaccinations, state health care personnel and first responders who are exposed to or treated with COVID-19 will prefer it; essential workers and workers in high public contact (eg social service assistants, grocery workers, transport workers) and people at increased risk for serious COVID-19 diseases, including those with underlying medical conditions and people aged 65 and over. As more doses of vaccine become available, the state plans to expand the distribution to more of the general population.

Should people who have already had COVID-19 be vaccinated?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is currently not enough information to say whether or how long after infection someone is protected to get COVID-19 again, which is called ‘natural immunity’. Early evidence suggests that COVID-19 ‘natural immunity’ will not last very long, but more studies are needed to better understand it.

Is there a cost associated with the vaccine I get?

Vaccine doses purchased from U.S. taxpayers are given to the American people free of charge. However, vaccination providers will be able to charge an administration fee for the shot to someone. Vaccination providers can reimburse this fee through the patient’s public or private insurance company, or, for uninsured patients, through the Insurance Resources Fund of the Health Resources and Services Administration.

When can I stop wearing a mask and take social distance?

There is currently not enough information available to say whether CDC will no longer recommend wear masks and avoid close contact with others to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. The CDC says experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines offer before making a decision. Other factors, including how many people are vaccinated and how the virus spreads in communities, will also influence this decision.

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