# How does vaccine distribution work? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [November 23, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275 "2020-11-23T16:31:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/121 "2020-12-02T17:17:50Z")
She’s got dementia, of course she has problems with daily interactions. Seriously, your post is pretty insulting. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/122 "2020-12-02T17:19:41Z")
You didn’t bring up dementia before and it’snot exactly fair to scold me for not knowing that. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/123 "2020-12-02T17:23:35Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > > [@SanVito](#): > > > > And I also know that interaction with family is the only thing my MIL cares about > > I should also point out that this might not be super true. It might be the only concern she communicates to you but your MIL has problems if her daily interactions are meaningless. > [@SanVito](#): > > She’s got dementia, of course she has problems with daily interactions. Seriously, your post is pretty insulting. > [@FigNorton](#): > > Nice bait and switch without acknowledging the evidence I provided that you asked for. Very nice. **Moderator Note** Let’s drop this hijack and get back to the actual subject of the thread. Colibri QZ Moderator ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/124 "2020-12-02T17:27:45Z")
Seriously? [From the Lancet](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(20)30037-4/fulltext): > Lockdown measures are especially difficult for the many care home residents with dementia or memory problems, estimated at around 70% of people in UK care homes. Visits from loved ones are replaced by interactions with staff wearing unfamiliar, frightening personal protective equipment (PPE), leaving these residents distressed and agitated. [From the BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53338139) > Coronavirus: Dementia patients ‘deteriorating’ without family visits [Alzheimer’s UK](https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/coronavirus-care-home-restrictions-mum-forgetting-me): > Alzheimer’s Society have secured a parliamentary debate on the shattering impact of Covid-19 on families affected by dementia. We have shared thousands of lived experiences with government, but you can also make sure your MP represents you. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/125 "2020-12-02T17:30:17Z")
Ok. Are you going to look up any stats for us to back up your experience? How many dementia patients were getting regular visits pre-covid? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/126 "2020-12-02T17:31:41Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Seriously? > > [From the Lancet](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(20)30037-4/fulltext): > > > Lockdown measures are especially difficult for the many care home residents with dementia or memory problems, estimated at around 70% of people in UK care homes. Visits from loved ones are replaced by interactions with staff wearing unfamiliar, frightening personal protective equipment (PPE), leaving these residents distressed and agitated. > > [From the BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53338139) > > > Coronavirus: Dementia patients ‘deteriorating’ without family visits > > [Alzheimer’s UK](https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/coronavirus-care-home-restrictions-mum-forgetting-me): > > > Alzheimer’s Society have secured a parliamentary debate on the shattering impact of Covid-19 on families affected by dementia. We have shared thousands of lived experiences with government, but you can also make sure your MP represents you. > [@FigNorton](#): > > Ok. Are you going to look up any stats for us to back up your experience? How many dementia patients were getting regular visits pre-covid? **Moderator Note** I’ll assume that you both did not see my previous note before posting, but if you want to continue this discussion take it to another thread. Further discussion in this thread may be subject to a warning. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/127 "2020-12-02T18:23:39Z")
Okay, more on topic: I’m so gratified to see the CDC’s list of priorities. But not surprised. I mean, of COURSE hospital workers should be first in line, then nursing homes. But there are people saying “Oh, don’t waste it on the old folks, they’re dying soon anyhow, right?”, so I’m glad to have it out there in writing. Oh, I’m afraid that comment above is a real one, from a dear friend (whose mother is in a retirement home!). Now, I think bartenders should be next in line, then all the folks who watch Packer games at my local pub, then retired teachers… (What? We’re on the front lines of… ummm… telling hilarious stories to keep the nation’s spirits up!) Serious question: Trump said the Army was going to distribute the vaccine. Is that still on? ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/128 "2020-12-02T18:37:01Z")
The military is being used in several countries for the distribution. Yes, I assume that is still happening in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/129 "2020-12-02T20:09:27Z")
I’ve given myself IM and subcutaneous shots, and I’ve given them to another person. (And a cat, for that matter. The cat was the most difficult!) I would be fine with volunteers from any walk of life being trained to do it. It’s easy. I would be fine with getting the shot from such a volunteer, and I would volunteer to be trained and give the shots if they made it an option. It seems fairly obvious to me that the purpose of having these other professionals do it is to not put an additional strain on healthcare workers and that system, which is already quite strained, and can be further strained as cases rise. People in medical professions are needed for that system. I have zero issue with dentists and optical professionals doing it, with one exception. I would not want to go to a dentist office where dental work is being done to get the vaccination. I have been putting off getting dental work done, this year because I think dental offices are very risky. I had to go in earlier this year because I broke a tooth, and it’s clear the dental office saw the risk as well. I had to sign a long form detailing the risk. Basically, patients cannot, obviously, be masked during procedures. Due to the design of dental drills, the procedures spray a fine mist of water mixed with saliva, etc. into the air. Patients are lying in a chair with their mouths open. Aerosolized virus seems likely to be floating around. It’s minimized to the extent they can, in various ways, but still a sizeable risk, I think. So I hope that the plan is for dentists to do it off-site, or on days when dental work is not also being done. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/130 "2020-12-02T20:14:41Z")
I remember getting vaccinated for stuff (rubella?) when I was in elementary school (1960’s), and this was in my school gym and the person injecting used some sort of ‘gun’, apparently driven by an air cartridge or something. Seems like something like this would make nearly untrained personnel competent. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/131 "2020-12-02T20:27:04Z")
Here we go: > **[Jet injector](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_injector)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > A jet injector is a type of medical injecting syringe device used for a method of drug delivery known as jet injection, in which a narrow, high-pressure stream of liquid penetrates the outermost layer of the skin (stratum corneum) to deliver medication to targeted underlying tissues of the epidermis or dermis ("cutaneous" injection, also known as classical "intradermal" injection), fat ("subcutaneous" injection), or muscle ("intramuscular" injecti... ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/132 "2020-12-02T20:52:35Z")
Not a great idea. The U.S. military stopped using jet injectors in 1997 due to concerns about blood-borne disease transmission due to splash-back. We actually discussed them a few weeks ago here: > [@Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2020 Breaking News](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-breaking-news/847758/5566): > > I got a mandatory flu shot while in Navy training using an [injector gun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_injector). IIRC, the gun used high-pressure compressed air to inject the vaccine directly though the skin. Then I heard a rumor (urban legend?) about some guy who flinched when he was injected, and it cut his arm open. So after that I always requested a vaccine with a needle instead (and my request was honored because by then I was in the fleet and no longer in training). A few years later, they learned there could be cross-contami… ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/133 "2020-12-02T21:02:54Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I’m so gratified to see the CDC’s list of priorities. > > But not surprised. I mean, of COURSE hospital workers should be first in line, then nursing homes. Those were the easy calls. The next batch is when it gets tougher. Assuming both Pfizer and Moderna are approved, there are estimates of 150 million total doses available in the U.S. between now and March (75 million people). Among those discussed as priorities, there are - 21 million health care personnel - 3 million long-term care residents - 87 million essential workers - 100 million high-risk adults - 53 million others 65+ I hope teachers and other school workers are top priority within the essential worker group. I don’t know where I’d rank the rest of them. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/134 "2020-12-02T21:06:12Z")
I’d agree with this list and am happy to wait. I can easily work from home until next summer. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/135 "2020-12-02T21:09:16Z")
I’ve only seen adults discussed, and I assume that’s because it has not been tested on children. Before I go research that, does anyone know anything about it becoming available for kids? Getting kids back to school has to be a huge priority, both for their well-being and education, and for the workforce to be able to return to normal. So I hope something is in the works, and it isn’t just a plan to have herd immunity protect kids, which could be a long time coming. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/136 "2020-12-02T21:28:35Z")
Answering my own question, it will take months’ more study. Prediction is, maybe kids could be getting vaccinated for the beginning of next school year. Pfizer is enrolling kids 12 and older in its trial. They need to study dose and efficacy – which could be better or worse in kids, due to differences in kid and adult immune systems. > **[A COVID-19 Vaccine For Children May Still Be Many Months Away](https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/11/27/939341531/a-covid-19-vaccine-for-children-may-still-be-many-months-away)** > > The first COVID-19 vaccines to hit the market will not be approved for use in children. Researchers must figure out if the vaccines are safe and effective in kids. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/137 "2020-12-02T21:30:32Z")
“Protecting kids” isn’t a big issue in the first place, because one of the unusual things about COVID is that it doesn’t hit children very hard in the first place. They can still get it, but they’re especially unlikely to suffer serious symptoms. The bigger concern with children is them spreading the disease between the various elders they come in contact with, such as their teachers and parents. Which can be addressed by vaccinating those elders. And, again, these decisions aren’t (or at least, shouldn’t) be based on squishy subjective things like “who deserves it the most”. The people who are making these decisions have access to highly-detailed models, that they can use to determine “If we give it to X group first, then there will be Y deaths and Z serious afflictions, while if we give it to A group first, then there will be B deaths and C serious afflictions”. Health-care workers aren’t first in line because they deserve to be rewarded for being heroes; they’re first in line because they have extensive contact both with sick people and with people who are particularly vulnerable, so vaccinating them makes a lot of bad numbers go down significantly. This is why we have professional epidemiologists. Ordinary folks like us aren’t qualified to make these decisions. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/138 "2020-12-02T21:47:47Z")
I never suggested that kids should be vaccinated due to “deserv[ing]” it. I also wasn’t really talking about kids’ need to be protected from Covid-19. My reference to their well-being was about schools being closed. Kids are suffering in multiple ways due to schools being closed. And parents – especially mothers – are also being put in impossible positions. I also wasn’t saying I knew better than anyone. I was asking questions about how it was going to work, and expressing a hope. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/139 "2020-12-03T03:24:52Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > I would be fine with volunteers from any walk of life being trained to do it. It’s easy. I would be fine with getting the shot from such a volunteer, and I would volunteer to be trained and give the shots if they made it an option. This. I have been wondering if it will be possible to volunteer to give vaccinations, because I have given shots to mice, and I’m quite certain that I could give an intramuscular vaccine to people with minimal training. And it’s possible that “people to administer vaccines” will be in short supply. > [@TroutMan](#): > > I hope teachers and other school workers are top priority within the essential worker group. I don’t know where I’d rank the rest of them. Well, I’m rooting for essential workers before “everyone else at high risk”. That’s mostly selfish on my part – I an under 65, not “high risk” in any documented way, but I get pretty sick from an ordinary cold, so I’m terrified. And I suspect that the best way to protect ME (until my turn, near the end of the line) is to vaccinate the essential workers. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2020, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275/140 "2020-12-03T03:30:46Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > would be fine with volunteers from any walk of life being trained to do it. It’s easy. My mom taught me how to give her Embril shots, which I managed to do despite being so squeamish I don’t watch when I get shots. If I can give a shot, a whole lot of people can be taught to do it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-vaccine-distribution-work/926275.md?page=8)