Though details aren't yet known, local distributors, health officials prep for COVID-19 vaccination plan

Dr. Bob Manam said that when a vaccine for COVID-19 is released, he will be “overjoyed.”

“A vaccine is needed to prevent the deadly disease,” said Manam, an infectious disease specialist with Northwestern Medicine. “A vaccine will help save lives.”

Since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 has led to 1.4 million deaths globally, 257,000 in the U.S. and 11,552 in Illinois. As of Monday, there have been 4,708 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in DeKalb County, including 45 deaths. Cases and hospitalizations have been up as the state fights a fall surge of the disease, with renewed restrictions on the travel and hospitality industries bearing the brunt of mitigations in an attempt to slow the current spread.

A vaccine to fight the disease, as a result, looms – with the race now on what will be available first, who will it be given to, and how it will be distributed on everyone’s minds as the holidays approach.

“People are not able to go to work or school, the economy is down, hospitals are filling up and people are dying,” Manam said. “There’s nowhere to hide, COVID-19 is everywhere and now it’s flu season.”

To develop, make and distribute COVID-19 vaccines, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense have partnered to oversee Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s program to organize distribution efforts.

According to the HHS's website, Operation Warp Speed's goal is "to produce and deliver 300 million doses of safe and effective vaccines with the initial doses available by January 2021, as part of a broader strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics."

Three drugmakers have reported preliminary results from late-stage trials: Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Pfizer and Moderna’s results showed their vaccines were almost 95% effective. AstraZeneca’s vaccine was 90% effective in one of the dosing regimens tested and less effective in another.

Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines must be stored at minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas AstraZeneca’s can be stored between 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

The vaccines' ultra-low temperatures needed can make storage and transportation difficult. With the Illinois Department of Public Health's recent announcement that public health officials are preparing or an initial wave of 400,000 doses – to be given to health care workers and first responders first – local distributors are planning, too.

Tim Lehan, pharmacist with Lehan Drugs, said his pharmacy signed up with the federal government to be a distributor of a vaccine once it becomes available.

“The freezing temperatures needed would make it impossible for a small facility like ours to distribute the vaccine,” Lehan said. “But until a vaccine is out and all of the information is known, we can’t speculate really.”

The three drugmaking companies have reached agreements with governments and international health organizations about the cost of their vaccines: Pfizer’s will cost about $20, Moderna’s $15 to $25 and AstraZeneca’s $2.50.

All three vaccines must be approved by the Federal Department of Agriculture before they can be widely distributed. All three also require two doses.

Many other vaccines, including MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), require two does. Multiple doses of a vaccine allow the body to have a better chance of producing more antibodies, which lead to immunity.

HHS has said that Operation Warp Speed is "developing a plan for delivering a safe and effective product to Americans as quickly and reliably as possible … ensuring that every American who wants to receive a COVID-19 vaccine can receive one, by delivering safe and effective vaccine doses to the American people beginning January 2021."

Operation Warm Speed has aimed to procure and assemble 6.6 million ancillary supply kits, which would support the vaccination of up to 660 million doses of vaccine. The kits will include needles, syringes, alcohol pads, vaccination cards, and limited PPE for vaccinators.

“We know the COVID-19 vaccine will likely be distributed to local jurisdictions in phases and distribution will be targeted, at the beginning, to those who are most at risk,” said Public Health Administrator Lisa Gonzalez with the DeKalb County Health Department. “Once a vaccine is more widely available, plans are being developed to offer traditional vaccination clinics for the general public, and will likely incorporate strategies like drive-up or drive-thru clinics.”

Manam said that having a large percentage of the population receive a vaccine will create immunity within the community, or herd immunity.

“The public receiving a COVID-19 vaccination means that there will be less cases, which will lead to greater immunity,” he said. “I would love to see the end of COVID-19 in my lifetime.”

• The Associated Press contributed to this article.