SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Now that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, San Diego County is one step closer to getting more people vaccinated.
Moderna says its vaccine is safe and 94% effective. It will come in two doses taken 28 days apart.
This week, there are two county hospitals that are expecting shipments of Moderna's vaccine. According to hospitals officials, the first shipment will arrive at Rady Children’s Hospital on Monday. It's unclear how many doses of the vaccine the hospital will receive.
UC San Diego is also scheduled to receive their Moderna COVID-19 shipment this week.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Twitter that California is expecting 672,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine. It’s still unclear how many of those will be given to San Diego.
By the end of the week and with two vaccines available, the federal government expects there will be 7.9 million doses delivered to more than 3,700 locations across the country.
The distribution of the Moderna vaccine comes as the Centers for Diease Control and Prevention releases new recommendations about who should get the vaccine next. The CDC says frontline essential workers and adults ages 75 and older should be the priority in the next round.
The agency describes essential workers as firefighters, police, teachers, and school staff. Those working in food and agricultural sectors, as well as U.S. Postal Service employees, public transit workers, and grocery store workers would be in that category.
San Diego County has not said if the CDC's new recommendations will have any impact on their vaccine roll out plan.
Until a wide distribution is available, the governor asks people to stay at home and wear a mask.