BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's been a long, exhausting road to finding a vaccine to help battle COVID-19.
On Monday, thousands of doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be distributed across all 50 states, with 170,000 of them landing in New York State. Of those, 14,500 doses will go to Western New York.
Western New Yorkers are hard at work to ensure an efficient, just, and organized distribution process, but local lawmakers and medical experts say it won't be easy.
Dr. Michael Mineo is the chief medical officer at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital and says there's a lot to consider when tackling a monumental public health operation like this.
"Hospitals are on the receiving end of this process and are working heavily with all other agencies to ensure this goes smoothly," Mineo says. Local health systems are collaborating closely as well.
While Erie County's Vaccine Task Force is starting to strategize, Mineo says it's important to consider all the moving parts and why building patience and confidence in the community is crucial when it comes to these vaccines.
"It's critical that everybody has confidence in this vaccine and one of the parts to achieving that is making sure that we're all speaking with the same voice," he says.
As part of the process, states are determining the need in their communities based on how many people are at risk, meanwhile working with the federal government to determine where to send the vaccines.
Mineo tells 2 On Your Side, working with a vaccine of this nature that has specific regulations and requirements makes things that much more challenging which is why collaboration and continuity are crucial.
While we wait, Mineo encourages people to continue wearing masks and practice social distancing. And as much as possible he says, stay home, don't travel, and stay in your bubble.
