Porter Ranch Pharmacist Gearing Up For COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Pharmacist Phil Banks was gearing up Friday to vaccinate his Porter Ranch patients against the coronavirus after the Food and Drug Administration gave Pfizer the green light to move forward with distribution of its vaccine to hundreds of millions of Americans.
So far, the list of pharmacies that will get the vaccine once enough doses are available for the general public include Walgreens, CVS, Ralphs, Walmart, Vons, Costco and Pavillions among others.
Banks said he anticipates there will be back-to-back appointments booked days in advance.
"I think the demand's gonna far exceed the supply at first," he said. "So, with my current patient load, I'm actually gonna be focusing on those patients in the higher risk groups before I get to people who are in the lower risk groups."
RELATED: LA County Pulls Nursing Homes From Federal Vaccine Rollout
On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted out a photo of a COVID-19 vaccine card that shows when people get the shots — similar to a standard vaccine card parents use to enroll their children in school.
Just got back from visiting a site prepping for the arrival of the #COVID19 vaccine as early as this weekend. Answered a few Qs on my Instagram about the process & what we're expecting.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 11, 2020
Here's an example of a card you'll receive after your initial dose.https://t.co/nBl1mU76Qg pic.twitter.com/Xh0ZqCuaCi
"This is a card that will be given to you by Health and Human Services of the United States." Dr. David Argus, CBS News medical contributor, said. "Going forward, there will certainly be a digital ID for this and you'll have the option of tying it your driver's license, passport, et cetera, and it may be required to attend some rock concerts, to get on a plane to go some places, but initially it's just gonna be the paper card."
Pharmacists recommend making an appointment once the vaccine is available to avoid crowds and maintain a safe distance from others while getting the vaccination.
Banks said his pharmacy would not be receiving the first round of vaccines, which require specialty storage equipment to keep the vials at the necessary temperature of negative 95 degrees.
"We don't have that capability," he said. "So, we're gonna be waiting for the regular vaccines to come out that don't require the super cooling."
But once the Porter Ranch pharmacy receives a vaccine, Banks said they're planning to distribute between 25 and 50 doses per day, by appointment only.