Legislature(2019 - 2020)ANCH LIO DENALI Rm
12/07/2020 10:00 AM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Department of Health and Social Services Statewide Covid-19 Vaccination Plan | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
ANCHORAGE LIO
December 7, 2020
10:01 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator David Wilson, Chair
Senator Natasha von Imhof, Vice Chair
Senator Cathy Giessel (via teleconference)
Senator Mike Shower (via teleconference)
Senator Tom Begich (via teleconference)
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Harriet Drummond (via teleconference)
Representative Bryce Edgmon (via teleconference)
Representative Sara Hannan (via teleconference)
Representative Delena Johnson (via teleconference)
Representative Andi Story (via teleconference)
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson (via teleconference)
Senator Jesse Kiehl (via teleconference)
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Presentation: Department of Health and Social Services Statewide
COVID-19 Vaccination Plans
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
DR. ANNE ZINK, Chief Medical Officer
Division of Public Health
Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Delivered a presentation on the statewide
COVID-19 vaccination plan.
TESSA WALKER LINDERMAN, Nurse Consultant
Division of Public Health
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and
DHSS Lead
Alaska COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered question related to the statewide
COVID-19 vaccination plan.
DR. ROBERT ONDERS, Medical Director
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Described the tribal partnership component
of the Alaska COVID-19 taskforce.
MATTHEW BOBO, Immunization Program Manager
Section of Epidemiology
Division of Public Health
Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS)
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions about the availability
and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in each phase.
LORI WING-HEIER, Director
Alaska Division of Insurance
POSITION STATEMENT: Stated that the taskforce has worked very
hard to make the vaccine available to Alaskans as soon as
possible.
ACTION NARRATIVE
10:01:03 AM
CHAIR DAVID WILSON called the Senate Health and Social Services
Standing Committee meeting to order 10:01 a.m. Senators Giessel
and Begich were present via teleconference, and Senator von
Imhof and Chair Wilson were present in person. He noted that
Senators Kiehl and Gray-Jackson, and Representative Drummond
were also listening via teleconference.
^Presentation: Department of Health and Social Services
Statewide COVID-19 Vaccination Plan
10:02:19 AM
CHAIR WILSON stated that the purpose of the meeting is to
receive an overview from the Department of Health and Social
Services on the state's COVID-19 vaccination plan. He said the
intent is to disseminate information and learn how the public
can be involved and get more information. He identified the
individuals online to present and answer questions as Dr. Anne
Zink, Heidi Hedberg, Tessa Walker Linderman, Matthew Bobo, Dr.
Robert Onders, and Lori Wing-Heier. He clarified that the
committee is not taking a stance in support of or opposition to
getting the vaccine. That is a personal choice that individuals
should make in consultation with their health care professional.
CHAIR WILSON welcomed Dr. Zink to deliver the overview on the
statewide COVID-19 vaccination plan.
10:04:57 AM
DR. ANNE ZINK, Chief Medical Officer, Division of Public Health,
Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Anchorage,
Alaska, reviewed the agenda for the presentation outlined on
slide 2. She said she will provide opening remarks and a brief
discussion of the vaccine candidates. Next, Tessa Walker
Linderman will talk about the Alaska COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force
followed by Dr. Robert Onders who will talk about the tribal
health partner work. Ms. Walker Linderman will go through the
phases and allocations followed by epidemiologist Matt Bobo who
will discuss ordering, receiving, and distribution of the
vaccine, then back to Ms. Walker Linderman to discuss
communication and community planning. Dr. Zink said she will
conclude the presentation with a discussion on vaccine
confidence and answer any remaining questions.
10:05:56 AM
At ease.
10:06:48 AM
CHAIR WILSON reconvened the meeting.
DR. ZINK continued the presentation on slide 3 advising that the
vaccine candidates are expected in Alaska in the near future.
The Pfizer vaccine is expected to arrive first. It has gone
through all three stages that ensure vaccine safety and
efficacy, including Phases 1, 2, and 3. The vaccine has been
tested in over 43,000 participants and has been submitted to the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use
authorization. The FDA is currently reviewing the data for
safety and efficacy and the state is awaiting their conclusion.
The initial data showed 170 confirmed cases of COVID-19. A
comparison of the placebo group versus the group that received
the vaccine showed that the efficacy of the vaccine against
COVID-19 was 95 percent [seven days] after the second dose was
administered and 94 percent in those over age 65. This was
consistent across ages, gender, race, and ethnicity.
DR. ZINK described the Pfizer vaccine as logistically
challenging because it has to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius.
She said the task force team has been working around the clock
to ensure that that part of the distribution is successful.
10:08:41 AM
DR. ZINK advised that the Moderna vaccine is expected to arrive
in Alaska soon after the Pfizer vaccine. She noted that they
both use the messenger RNA (mRNA) platform.
She said the Moderna vaccine was tested on more than 30,000
participants and no serious safety concerns were found. The
vaccine was 94 percent efficacious two weeks after the second
dose and 100 percent against severe COVID-19. She noted that
efficacy is how well a vaccine works in a controlled environment
whereas effectiveness is how well it works in the real world.
DR. ZINK said the Moderna data was submitted to the FDA on
December 2, 2020 and additional testing of the coronavirus
vaccine is starting in children ages 12 through 17. The Pfizer
vaccine was only tested in people age 18 and older.
She said the Moderna vaccine is not as logistically challenging
as the Pfizer vaccine because the storage requirements are just
-20 degrees Celsius.
10:09:48 AM
DR. ZINK displayed slide 6 that depicts the three test phases
for the vaccine candidates. She emphasized that the clinical
trial process for the COVID-19 vaccines did not skip any steps.
The vaccines that have been submitted are built on years of
technology. The process to develop mRNA vaccines have been long
underway. They have been found to be very safe and efficacious.
She explained that the vaccine candidates from Pfizer and
Moderna have completed the three test phases illustrated on
slide 6. Phase 1 is the preclinical study phase that tests for
safety in 10-100 people. Phase 2 tests hundreds of people with
different characteristics such as age and health status to
ensure that the effectiveness and side effects are well
understood. Phase 3 tests thousands of people to assess both
safety and effectiveness. All three phases have been completed
for both vaccine candidates and are being submitted to the FDA
for approval.
DR. ZINK suggested watching Dr. Jay Butler's presentation to
learn more about clinical trials and other vaccine candidates.
The YouTube link is on the bottom of slide 7.
10:11:18 AM
DR. ZINK displayed slide 8 that shows the federal government
currently estimates that Alaska's initial allocations of
vaccines could include 35,100 doses from Pfizer and 17,900 doses
from Moderna. She noted that the doses from Moderna are expected
to change early this week, particularly with the Indian Health
Service (IHS) distribution. She informed the committee that
because of the geographic challenges of distributing the
vaccine, Alaska has selected to receive its allocations up front
for the month rather than week-to-week. She clarified that the
initial allocations are for the first of two doses. The second
doses will be shipped later. She also highlighted that in
addition to the FDA, the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) is also looking at the information.
DR. ZINK deferred to Tessa Walker Linderman to talk about the
task force and how it is structured in Alaska.
10:13:10 AM
CHAIR WILSON stated that Senator Shower had joined the meeting
via teleconference, and that Representatives Hannan and Story
were listening to the meeting via teleconference.
10:13:18 AM
SENATOR VON IMHOF asked if the state contracted with the
University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF) to help with storing the
vaccine at the required ultra-cold temperature.
10:13:50 AM
DR. ZINK replied the department has worked extensively,
including with UAF, to be able to store the vaccines. She
deferred to Ms. Walker Linderman for more detail.
10:14:22 AM
TESSA WALKER LINDERMAN, Nurse Consultant, Division of Public
Health, Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), and
DHSS Lead, Alaska COVID-19 Task Force, said Pfizer has developed
a shipping container that can maintain the required ultra-cold
temperatures for up to 20 days if it is replenished with dry ice
every five days. Also, the task force has talked with the
university, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and
the Alaska Sea Life Center to locate ultra-cold freezers in
different communities statewide and determine whether or not a
source of dry ice is readily available.
10:15:39 AM
SENATOR SHOWER referred to the statement on slide 8 that read:
Vaccines made available via an Emergency Use
Authorization cannot be required or mandated by
governments and businesses.
He asked if the vaccine could be mandated once the EUA has
expired.
10:16:16 AM
DR. ZINK replied the state has no plans at this point to mandate
any vaccine and private business can't mandate individual
vaccines until there is full authorization, which won't happen
for about two years.
SENATOR SHOWER said he asked because in some professions one's
job can be jeopardized by taking a vaccine that is authorized
through an EUA. He cited the example of the FAA saying that
pilots who take the vaccine in this circumstance will lose their
license.
10:17:50 AM
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN turned to the organizational chart for the
Alaska COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force depicted on slide 10. She
said that when the group was convened in August 2020, it quickly
became clear that it would be important for DHSS to partner with
the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). She noted
the co-leads within each of the eight teams and that each team
is further broken down into sub-teams. She said the task force
has 50 people that meet daily.
She deferred to Dr. Onders to discuss the tribal partnership.
10:19:35 AM
DR. ROBERT ONDERS, Medical Director, Alaska Native Tribal Health
Consortium (ANTHC), expressed appreciation to the state for
involving ANTHC early in the planning process. The partnership
has worked well and has been instrumental in helping to plan for
distribution to the more challenging areas of the state. He said
that with more than 180 village clinics and multiple hospitals
throughout the state, ANTHC probably has more opportunity for
vaccine administration than any other entity. They serve not
only Alaska Natives, but also other people in those communities.
ANTHC has helped to coordinate discussions with their regional
tribal health partners and tribes and the state to use the
state's existing infrastructure for vaccine administration and
immunization coordination. This will help facilitate the process
working well across the state.
10:21:27 AM
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN turned to slide 13 and paraphrased the
timeline for December. It read as follows:
Timeline
Expect dates to change as we find out more
December 1: CDC Advisory Council on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) met and voted on a recommendation for
who gets the vaccine first
December 3: Alaska Allocation Committee met to
recommend prioritization and distribution model for
Alaska
December 4-7: Vaccine shipment details (including
estimated doses) reported to hospital leadership or
hospital vaccine planners
December 10: FDA meeting on Pfizer vaccine. Additional
CDC guidance is expected. If EUA approved, vaccine
shipment may begin.
Technical difficulty
Mid December: Pfizer vaccine shipments arrive in
Alaska
Mid-End December: Moderna vaccine shipments arrive in
Alaska Expect regular shipments to continue throughout
2021.
Expect regular shipments to continue throughout 2021
10:22:45 AM
At ease.
10:28:07 AM
CHAIR WILSON reconvened the meeting and apologized the technical
difficulty.
10:28:37 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked what the time gap will be between the first
and second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and if
the second dose is necessary to achieve the efficacy that was
described.
DR. ZINK replied both are two-dose vaccines; the Pfizer vaccine
is split 21 days apart and the Moderna vaccine is split 28 days
apart. The efficacy picks up after the second dose so it is
important that people plan to get the second dose of the vaccine
they received initially.
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN read the last two points on slide 13 and
confirmed Dr. Zink's earlier statement that Alaska will receive
the vaccine doses up-front for the month rather than in weekly
shipments.
10:31:05 AM
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN reviewed the phases of vaccine availability
depicted on slide 14. She said there will be very limited
availability of the vaccine in Phase 1A/1B. More regular
shipments will occur in Phase 2, but availability will be
limited. In Phase 3, the vaccine will be widely available to the
entire population. She said the timeline for the three phases is
undefined at this point but Phase 1A is potentially a week away.
10:32:02 AM
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN paraphrased slide 15 that read as follows:
Vaccine Allocation Federal
? CDC Advisory Council on Immunization Practices
(ACIP) approved the following recommendation by
majority (13-1) vote at its December 1, 2020 emergency
meeting
When a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized by FDA and
recommended by ACIP, vaccination in the initial phase
of the COVID-19 vaccination program (Phase 1A) should
be offered to both 1) health care personnel and
2) residents of long-term care facilities
? More information:
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
10:33:06 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked if all or just critical front-line health
care personnel will receive the vaccine in the initial phase.
10:33:25 AM
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN replied the next two slides address the
question. She paraphrased slides 16 and 17 that read as follows:
Vaccine Allocation Federal
Further CDC Advisory Council on Immunization Practices
(ACIP) Recommendations:
? Healthcare personnel (HCP) with direct patient
contact
-Unable to telework
-Including those who work in inpatient,
outpatient, or community settings
-Provide services to patients or patients' family
members
-Handle infectious materials
? HCP working in residential care or long-term care
facilities
? HCP infected with COVID-19 within the preceding 90
days may choose to delay vaccination for other HCP
more susceptible to infection
? No current data to inform recommendations for
pregnant or breastfeeding women
Vaccine Allocation Federal
Further CDC Advisory Council on Immunization Practices
(ACIP) Recommendations:
? Long-term care facility resident sub-groups
-Skilled Nursing Facilities
-After Skilled Nursing Facilities:
?Assisted living facilities
?Intermediate care facilities for individuals
with developmental disabilities
?Residential care facilities
?State Veterans Homes
10:35:33 AM
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN displayed slide 18 that uses nesting dolls
to describe the vaccine allocation. The notion is that each
layer builds on the previous one. None of the layers stands on
its own and there is prioritization within each layer. She
explained that the largest nesting doll represents the federal
recommendations and the next doll represents the Alaska
Allocation Committee. Within that is how a community or hospital
might prioritize the vaccine. The decisions move down ultimately
to the individual level where Alaskans make the decision about
the vaccine for themselves.
10:36:28 AM
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN paraphrased slide 19 that read as follows:
Vaccine Allocation Alaska
On December 3, Alaska COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation
Committee met and unanimously determined a portion of
the groups that will be included in Phase 1A. These
groups include:
? Hospital based front-line health care workers at
highest risk for COVID-19 infection
? Long-term care facility residents and staff
? EMS/fire personnel
? Community Health Aides
? Individuals who are required to perform vaccinations
The committee will reconvene to discuss additional
groups to include in Phase 1A Thursday, December 10.
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN said front-line hospital workers and
residents and staff at long-term care facilities are tier one
and EMS/fire personnel, community health aides, and people
giving vaccinations are tier two in Phase 1A.
10:37:39 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked how many hospital workers will be immunized
in Phase 1A.
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN replied the hospitals have identified about
8,000 critical workers and about 14,000 staff overall.
10:38:46 AM
SENATOR VON IMHOF asked if she would recommend that people get
the vaccine if they have either had COVID-19 or have taken a
test that shows they have antibodies in their system.
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN deferred the question to Dr. Zink.
10:39:30 AM
DR. ZINK said the department has been waiting for the CDC and
APIC to provide additional guidance, but the initial data shows
that immunity from the vaccination generally is stronger than
natural immunity. They anticipate that people who have recovered
from COVID-19 will get the vaccine if they choose to do so. The
vaccine will be offered to people in tier 1 and tier 2 within
Phase 1A, including those who have recovered. People will not be
asked about antibody testing prior to receiving the vaccine
because there is a lack of data to show it demonstrates
immunity.
10:40:32 AM
SENATOR VON IMHOF said, based on her reading, it is too early to
say whether the vaccine or natural immunity is more effective.
She added that she likes the prioritization the department
outlined and the caveat that front line workers who have had
COVID-19 are able to delay getting the vaccine if they choose to
do so.
10:41:53 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked if access to excess vaccine that may be
available in Phase 1A will be made available to law enforcement
and other first responders. If not, he asked if they could be
considered.
10:42:30 AM
DR. ZINK answered that the department is watching the scientific
data very closely and will continue to work with the CDC and
APIC to ensure that the distribution of the vaccine, including
any excess, is science-based, equitable, and logistically
feasible. The idea is to work through those three pillars while
ensuring that no vaccine is wasted and that the health and
wellbeing of Alaskans is protected.
10:43:44 AM
SENATOR BEGICH recalled that nursing home populations fall in
Phase 1B of the distribution, and asked where the homeless
population falls in the process.
DR. ZINK clarified that nursing homes, long term care
facilities, and skilled nursing facilities fall within Phase 1A.
To the question about when the homeless population would receive
the vaccine, she said that is being discussed right now but the
challenge with that group is that the vaccine is given in two
doses.
SENATOR BEGICH asked her to keep his office informed on the
progress to offer the vaccine to the homeless population.
DR. ZINK said she would make sure that the task force and the
physician dedicated to COVID challenges keeps his office up to
date.
10:45:09 AM
CHAIR WILSON recognized that Senator Stevens, Representative
Edgmon, and Representative Johnson were listening and watching
via teleconference.
SENATOR GIESSEL asked what data the U.S. is following, what is
known about the specific variety of COVID-19 that is circulating
in the country, and if there are different strains in different
areas.
DR. ZINK replied the department is monitoring the different
clades of SARS-CoV-2 that cause COVID-19 and has submitted some
genomic sequencing to the genetic sequencing data bank in
Fairbanks. Six of the seven major clades, or variations, that
are circulating in the U.S. have been seen in Alaska but the
shape and function of the protein spike seems to be consistent
between the clades. The vaccines appear to target that protein
spike, which is how the virus enters the human cell, so they
should remain effective as the virus continues to change. She
said the department will continue to watch that closely.
She said information about the side effects of new vaccines
comes after about two months and how long the immunity lasts
will come after about six months of data or during the Phase 3
trials. More data is also coming out about the fact that it
appears that the virus that causes COVID-19 affects both innate
immunity and responsive immunity. That will be followed closely
to ensure that healthcare providers and the people of Alaska
have that information.
10:49:29 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked for more information on who might fall in
Phase 2 and Phase 3 and where teachers, public officials who
have been diagnosed with the virus, and other essential workers
might fit in the phases.
10:50:20 AM
MATTHEW BOBO, Immunization Health Program Manager, Section of
Epidemiology, Division of Public Health, Department of Health
and Social Services (DHSS), recounted that healthcare workers
and residents in long term care facilities will fall into Phase
1A. Teachers and other workers in the critical workforce, as
defined by federal guidelines, will fall into Phase 1B. This
will be mapped out by the Allocation Committee. Phase 2 will be
spent working through the critical workforce and into the
general population. The vaccine will be readily available to the
general public in Phase 3.
CHAIR WILSON asked when interested people in the general public
would be able to provide input to the Allocation Committee
regarding who might be essential workers and what residents go
into each phase.
10:51:55 AM
DR. ZINK said people are welcome to send letters to the
Allocation Committee but it is important to understand that they
are a group of scientists and clinicians who represent a diverse
range of expertise and experience in both urban and rural areas.
They will look at the information with the pillars of science,
logistics, and statewide equity.
CHAIR WILSON asked if the information on how to contact the
Allocation Committee is on the DHSS website.
DR. ZINK answered yes, and additional information sources are at
the end of the presentation.
10:53:34 AM
SENATOR SHOWER asked if the vaccine eliminates the chance of
getting COVID-19 and infecting others or if it just reduce the
severity of the symptoms if someone were to come into contact
with the virus post vaccination.
DR. ZINK answered that the initial data looked at symptoms and
severity of the symptoms, which is where the efficacy was found.
The data is still under review on whether somebody could get
COVID-19 and transfer it to others.
SENATOR SHOWER commented on the moving goal posts for reopening
the economy and asked when the medical benefit of keeping the
economy closed isn't worth the devastation to the economy.
10:56:34 AM
DR. ZINK answered that the mission of DHSS is the physical and
mental health and wellbeing of Alaskans and they know that
economic health is tied to both. She said the tools DHSS is
using to reduce the spread of the virus are the tools to keep
businesses open; to keep people healthy, safe, and moving
forward; and to keep government systems open and functioning.
This means schools open, hospitals functioning, and law
enforcement doing its job without people being sick or any part
of the system being overwhelmed. She said the team continues to
look at all the components both within and outside of COVID-19.
She offered her perspective that the goal post is ensuring the
health and wellbeing of Alaskans and that has not changed.
SENATOR SHOWER asked if she could give a definitive timeline for
opening all sectors of the economy.
11:00:22 AM
DR. ZINK answered that she has been describing the vaccine and
its distribution like the sun. There is not a noticeable
difference between December 21 and December 22, but by the
spring equinox there will be more vaccine available and the
world will be different. She said the caveat is that there are
no associated production and distribution challenges.
DR. ZINK continued to say:
Honestly, from my seat in this position, it feels like
watching a man land on the moon. To see the science
coming together [in] such quick time over vaccines and
to see the hope and inspiration right now, I feel like
we can see the runway up ahead. It's going to be a lot
of work but I think this spring and summer are going
to feel like very different places. Not because of any
rules or regulations, but because we're not going to
be having as many people sick and infected by COVID-
19, which is directly impacting their ability to
function and work and keep businesses open and moving
forward.
11:02:11 AM
MR. BOBO continued the presentation with a discussion of
ordering, receiving, and distribution of the vaccine. He
directed attention to the map on slide 21 that shows color-coded
locations to illustrate Alaska's existing system to get vaccines
from the larger airports to increasingly rural parts of the
state. Specifically, it depicts the sites that DHSS distributes
vaccines for the federal Vaccines for Children Program and the
Alaska Vaccine Assessment Program.
11:02:59 AM
MR. BOBO displayed slide 22 and read the following:
Ordering, Receiving and Distributing Vaccine
COVID-19 vaccination providers may enroll in the CDC
COVID19 Vaccination Program administered by the Alaska
Immunization Program, a program within the Alaska
Department of Health and Social Services:
http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Epi/id/Pages/COVID19/Vaccin
eProviders.aspx
As of December 4, 265 health care providers are fully
enrolled.
MR. BOBO displayed slide 23 and read the following:
Ordering, Receiving and Distributing Vaccine
Integrated IT systems both public and private, as
well as new and existingare needed to ensure
successful vaccine allocation, distribution,
administration, monitoring, and reporting.
11:04:19 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked if precautions were being taken to prevent
the state's IT systems from being hacked and disrupting
distribution of the vaccine.
MR. BOBO answered yes; the security plan for the vaccination
tracking system is behind firewalls and is being assessed
throughout the process. Furthermore, the state security officers
are holding these conversations with their federal partners.
11:05:05 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked if DHSS is communicating about the recently
reported IT breach and receiving real-time data about the hack.
MR. BOBO said he was unclear about the specific case but
security protocols are being followed and the system is up to
date to ensure there are no hacks. There have been none to date,
he said.
11:05:46 AM
MR. BOBO paraphrased slide 24 that read as follows:
Ordering, Receiving and Distributing Vaccine
Jurisdictions are not advised to purchase ultra-cold
storage equipment at this time:
? Ultra-cold vaccine will be direct shipped from the
manufacturer in coolers that are packed with dry ice
? Direct shipments to the vaccination provider site
will be in 975-dose increments on a real-time, day to
day basis
11:06:44 AM
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN turned to slide 26 and explained that in
terms of community planning, the DHSS task force has focused on
planning for Phase 1A so that communities can focus on the
subsequent phases. To accomplish this, the task force has
developed a team of public health nurses who will serve as
regional technical assistant advisors (TAAs) in the different
areas of the state.
She displayed slide 27 and explained that the TAAs will be
responsible for: assessing the community's planning progress,
providing individualized outreach and support, providing updated
information, assisting with problem solving and providing
resources; engaging in regular communications, and supporting
the community's planning efforts for subsequent phases of
vaccine distribution.
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN displayed the list of entities for which
the TAAs serve as the task force point of contact. She said this
shows the robust planning that the task force hopes to support
on the community level. She said the TAAs will serve the
following regions: Southcentral, Interior, Southeast, Northern,
and the Municipality of Anchorage.
11:09:17 AM
DR. ZINK expressed appreciation that the committee held the
hearing to receive information and answers to questions the
public may have posed about the vaccine. She said the goal is to
be transparent and provide timely and accurate information about
vaccines to Alaskans and Alaska decision-makers on an ongoing
basis. She said there may be efficacious vaccines but to be
effective it has to get out to people.
She directed attention to slide 31 that has a link to a recent
public service announcement from the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) that talks about testing and production. She said the task
force is also working to produce local announcements to ensure
that direct questions are answered.
11:10:13 AM
DR. ZINK reviewed slide 32 that read as follows:
http://Covidvax.Alaska.gov
? Regular updates: Learn about vaccine availability
? Communications tools: Weekly updated written
messages you can use to discuss COVID-19 vaccine in
your community
? Learning opportunities: Weekly Thursday 2 PM
publicly available virtual learning opportunity to
stay informed about planning, distribution and vaccine
science
? Planning resources: Healthcare stakeholder and
community partner resources
DR. ZINK said the last few slides have additional resources that
the committee and public may find helpful. She offered to answer
questions.
11:11:08 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked what the cost of vaccine is and who is paying
for it.
MR. BOBO explained that the federal government is paying for the
vaccine through Operation Warp Speed. There is no cost to the
public, but providers may charge a fee to administer the vaccine
and insurance companies will pay.
CHAIR WILSON asked how long the funding is expected to last.
MR. BOBO said his understanding is that the funding will last
through all three phases of administering the vaccine. He said
he didn't know what would happen after Phase 3.
11:12:32 AM
SENATOR SHOWER asked Dr. Zink if someone who received the
vaccine and still contracted COVID-19 would be considered
contagious.
DR. ZINK said the science and data is insufficient to say
whether or not this vaccine will prevent the spread of the
disease, but the hope is that an answer will be forthcoming very
soon.
CHAIR WILSON asked if someone who gets COVID-19 after they
receive the first vaccination should go ahead and get the second
booster.
DR. ZINK answered that the expectation is that the emergency use
authorization (EUA) will provide more clarity on that, but
people are generally discouraged from getting vaccines when they
are sick because their immune system is fighting the disease.
11:15:27 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked if the resource materials listed on the
last few slides were available in languages other than English.
He noted that over 100 languages are spoken in his district
alone.
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN replied the task force communications team
is working to make translated materials available and the CDC
already has documents available in different languages.
SENATOR SHOWER asked Dr. Zink to comment on the notion that a
certain percent of the population must be vaccinated within six
months to achieve broad immunity, and how that might work in
Alaska. He also asked if there will be exemptions for
individuals who do not wish to get the vaccine.
11:18:13 AM
DR. ZINK reiterated that the state has no intention to require
anybody to take the vaccine. With regard to the question about
herd immunity, she said somewhere between 60 and 70 percent of
the population needs to have robust immunity to prevent ongoing
transmission of the virus across the population as a whole. As
to how long the vaccine will last, she said there isn't an
answer to that question at this time. Six months into the trials
is about the time it takes to see if the body builds innate
immunity that it holds onto for a longer period as opposed to
having to renew the vaccine on a regular basis. She said there
is not a lot of concern about mutations because the virus has
been fairly stable to this point.
DR. ZINK stated that the goal is to efficiently provide as much
vaccine as possible to those who want to take it, given the
limitations of production, allocation to the state, and
distribution within the state. She said the data and science on
the immunology is very reassuring at this point.
11:20:30 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked if there is a percentage of the population
the department would like to see immunized.
DR. ZINK said herd immunity is achieved when 60 to 70 percent of
the population has a significant degree of immunity. The vaccine
is a significant tool to achieve that immunity and therefore the
goal of the health and wellbeing of Alaskans. She said a lot has
been learned about the immunology of this disease and the
department will continue to monitor it closely moving forward.
SENATOR BEGICH said he, too, has heard concerns about a vaccine
mandate and he wanted to point out that even President-elect
Biden indicated that there would be no mandate, but people
should "do the right thing." He suggested all legislators
reassure constituents that there is no mandate but that people
take a vaccine to stay safe.
11:23:13 AM
CHAIR WILSON reiterated that the committee is not taking an
official stand on the vaccine but is trying to provide
information.
He asked Dr. Zink to respond to the concern about whether the
vaccine will in some way alter a person's DNA.
DR. ZINK emphasized that the vaccine will not alter a person's
DNA. She explained that DNA is transcribed into RNA that makes
proteins and this messenger RNA (mRNA) cannot get into the
nucleus or mitochondria where DNA lives.
CHAIR WILSON asked if the vaccines are made of fetal material.
11:24:36 AM
DR. ZINK replied neither Pfizer nor the Moderna use fetal
material to develop these vaccines.
11:24:48 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked if there is any type of micro-chip tracking
device contained in the vaccine.
DR. ZINK replied there is no tracking associated with these
vaccines. She said the CDC will be offering an app for people to
monitor their symptoms, but that is a close as it gets to
tracking.
11:25:17 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked if she had any reason to believe the vaccine
poses a risk to fertility.
DR. ZINK answered no; there are no concerns about fertility
related to these vaccines. However, COVID-19 is a vascular
disease and increasing data indicates the disease itself may
cause vascular problems, which can cause fertility challenges.
11:26:04 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked how likely it is that a person will have
severe side effects from the vaccine.
DR. ZINK said that in the first two months, neither test group
had any significant side effects or allergic reactions. One
vaccine trial had over 30,000 participants and another had over
40,000 participants. She added that the basis for RNA vaccines
have been studied for a long time and are thought to be among
the safest platforms available.
11:27:08 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked if mRNA vaccines are new and how people know
they are safe.
DR. ZINK answered that mRNA vaccines have been around for some
time but there has not been a widely spread mRNA vaccine used in
the past because of efficacy concerns - making the mRNA stable
enough that it works well once it is in the body.
11:28:44 AM
CHAIR WILSON asked if http://covidvax.alaska.gov was the best
website for people to visit if they want more information or
have questions.
MS. WALKER LINDERMAN answered yes; it is the best website to get
up to date information.
CHAIR WILSON thanked the presenters and asked Ms. Wing-Heir if
she had any comments.
11:30:13 AM
LORI WING-HEIER, Director, Alaska Division of Insurance, stated
that the taskforce has worked very hard to make the vaccine
available to Alaskans as soon as possible. She expressed hope
that it would help turn the corner for Alaska once it is
available.
11:30:49 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Wilson adjourned the Senate Health and Social Services
Standing Committee meeting at 11:30 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 12.07.2020 COVID Vaccine SHSS presentation Final.pdf |
SHSS 12/7/2020 10:00:00 AM |