Dr. Deidre Gifford, the state's acting health commissioner,
told Gov. Ned Lamont's COVID Task Force that Connecticut faces significant
hurdles getting a COVID-19 vaccine distributed.
The first is money – namely a lack of funds from
Washington, D.C.
"We've haven't gotten a ton of money for this process
from our federal partners, and we are holding out hope for more," she
said.
Then there are the hospitals that will actually get
the vaccine. Fewer than half of Connecticut's acute care facilities have the
ultra-cold storage capacity the vaccines require.
Pfizer's vaccine must be kept below minus-76 degrees
Fahrenheit. And once it's taken out, it must be used within five days. Patients
need two doses, taken 21 days apart.
Moderna's vaccine has more flexibility, but it still needs
to be stored at minus-5 degrees.
It can be used within a month and also requires two doses.
There is also the issue of trusting that people will
voluntarily take the vaccine. Keith Grant, of Hartford HealthCare says “getting
as much compliance” to the vaccination process as possible “is going to be
essential.”