Hospital networks and health care systems across northeastern Pennsylvania began doling out doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to staff this week, kicking off the first phase of an effort to curb the coronavirus pandemic in the commonwealth.
Regional distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 11, began with high-risk individuals in the health care field, along with residents of long term care facilities, as per the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The vaccine, which has an efficacy rating of 95%, consists of two doses spaced three weeks apart.