Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The COVID-19 vaccine: We got it. Let’s get it.

Bernard Leo Remakus, MD
Conditions
January 13, 2021
237 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

A few weeks ago, a small rural hospital in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, received its first shipment of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and quickly began vaccinating the hospital’s health care workers and skilled nursing facility staff and residents. After the Barnes-Kasson County Hospital immunized all the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Class 1A workers and residents who requested the vaccine, it moved to the next level of eligibility and started immunizing Class 1B first responders and teachers who worked at two of the county’s school districts.

On January 6, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Health ordered the hospital to stop immunizing all but Class 1A health care workers and nursing home personnel and residents. According to published reports, the state health department notified the hospital:

At this time, our top priority is vaccinating phase 1A individuals. However, our main goal remains ensuring all Pennsylvanians interested in receiving the vaccine will do so … The vaccine plan is designed to give the department and stakeholders a roadmap for distributing the vaccine to phases; the main issue remains that we are simultaneously building a road as we build the map.

While health departments continue trying to build a road and a map simultaneously, people will continue to acquire and die from COVID-19. Although the current Pfizer vaccine requires storage temperatures well below the capability of most medical offices and many hospitals, the Moderna vaccine can be easily refrigerated and stored as most other vaccines.

Rather than have the vaccine sitting on ice and possibly reaching its expiration date before being used, state health departments should be taking a lesson from a small rural hospital and start expanding their immunization guidelines and networks. The most logical and effective way to do this would be to start shipping the Moderna vaccine to primary care medical practices and allow the individual practices to start immunizing their patients according to the existing schedule.

After ACIP Class 1A patients who were health care workers or nursing home staff or residents were vaccinated, the medical practices would be allowed to vaccinate their Class 1B patients who were 75 years of age and older, and critical workers, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, grocery store workers, and postal employees. After all of their 1B patients were immunized, the medical practices would be allowed to vaccinate Class 1C patients who were 64 to 75 years old, 16 to 64 years old with high-risk medical conditions and additional critical workers.

What health departments are not allowing for is the age disparity in various locations. Many communities are made up of predominantly elderly patients, while other communities have a preponderance of middle-aged residents.

To vaccinate one community and force another to wait months for its turn is short-sighted. To vaccinate an entire nation in lockstep is even more so.

Many medical practices serve large Medicare populations, and acquiring the COVID-19 vaccine from their primary care physician would be a quick, convenient, and comfortable way for elderly and disabled patients to become immunized against COVID-19 and for the United States to achieve vaccine acceptance, compliance, and herd immunity much quicker than will be achieved by current methods. Although many practices would not be willing or able to vaccinate their patients, those practices that did agree to follow guidelines and immunize patients would be performing a critical service.

The sooner Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19, the sooner our nation will be able to lose the masks and get back to life as we once knew it. Instead of watching the COVID-19 vaccine aging on ice, the time has come to put our vaccination program into a higher gear and start using our ample resources to the best possible advantage of every American.

To date, only 27 percent of distributed vaccines have been administered. We can and must do better than this.

Bernard Leo Remakus is an internal medicine physician. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Dear medical community, it’s time to engage in the climate movement [PODCAST]

January 12, 2021 Kevin 2
…
Next

It's time to treat the COVID-19 vaccine campaign as if we are at war

January 13, 2021 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: COVID, Infectious Disease

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Dear medical community, it’s time to engage in the climate movement [PODCAST]
Next Post >
It's time to treat the COVID-19 vaccine campaign as if we are at war

More by Bernard Leo Remakus, MD

  • A message from a physician treating COVID patients

    Bernard Leo Remakus, MD
  • Why teachers aren’t going back to school: a physician’s take

    Bernard Leo Remakus, MD
  • Back to school in the pandemic era

    Bernard Leo Remakus, MD

Related Posts

  • COVID-19 divides and conquers

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • COVID-19 and the Tuskegee syphilis study

    Bintou Diarra
  • Major medical groups back mandatory COVID vaccine for health care workers

    Molly Walker
  • How to get patients vaccinated against COVID-19 [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • State sanctioned executions in the age of COVID-19

    Kasey Johnson, DO
  • A patient’s COVID-19 reflections

    Michele Luckenbaugh

More in Conditions

  • Overcoming the lies of depression: Senator John Fetterman’s struggle with mental health

    Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD
  • Proposed USPSTF guideline update: Advocating for earlier breast cancer screening at age 40

    Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
  • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

    Alice S. Y. Lee, MD
  • Urgent innovation needed to address growing mental health crisis among children and families

    Monika Roots, MD
  • The importance of listening in health care: a mother’s journey advocating for children with chronic Lyme disease

    Cheryl Lazarus
  • The unjust reality of racial disparities in pediatric kidney transplants

    Lien Morcate
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Boxing legends Tyson and Foreman: powerful lessons for a resilient and evolving health care future

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • A revolution in patient empowerment: Working together to save our medical system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Unlock financial freedom: The physician’s guide to lucrative multifamily syndications and wealth accumulation

      Pranay Parikh, MD | Finance
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • From journalism to medicine: Unveiling the untold stories of patients’ medical conditions

      Veronica Bonales, MD | Physician
    • Unlocking resilience: a powerful journey from trauma to transformation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 2 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • New Antiviral Option for CMV Prophylaxis After Kidney Transplant
  • Infant RSV Vax Heads to FDA for Review
  • Is Getting Test Results Online Right Away a Good Idea? Yes, Patients Say
  • Residency Application System Cuts Section on Hobbies and Interests
  • Workplace Harassment, Cyber Incivility High for Minority Groups in Academic Medicine

Meeting Coverage

  • Phase II Study: Bispecific Oral Drug Tops Leading JAK Inhibitor for RA
  • Closing the Diversity Gaps in Urologic Oncology Leadership
  • Certain NSCLC Patients May Be Able to Stop Immunotherapy at 2 Years
  • No Survival Benefit With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Rechallenge in Metastatic RCC
  • Happy Sleep, Happy Couple?
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Boxing legends Tyson and Foreman: powerful lessons for a resilient and evolving health care future

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • A revolution in patient empowerment: Working together to save our medical system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Unlock financial freedom: The physician’s guide to lucrative multifamily syndications and wealth accumulation

      Pranay Parikh, MD | Finance
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • From journalism to medicine: Unveiling the untold stories of patients’ medical conditions

      Veronica Bonales, MD | Physician
    • Unlocking resilience: a powerful journey from trauma to transformation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

The COVID-19 vaccine: We got it. Let’s get it.
2 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...