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First Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine Expected In Oklahoma This Week

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The first doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine are expected as soon in Oklahoma during the coming week, perhaps by Wednesday, the Oklahoma State Department of Health said following emergency approval of the vaccine by the Federal Drug Administration on Friday.

The state expects about 33,000 initial doses of the vaccine, according to health commissioner Dr. Lance Frye.

“This is great news, and we’re optimistic about the arrival of the vaccine in Oklahoma,” Frye said in the statement. “Oklahomans should feel confident in receiving this vaccine when it becomes available to them.”

Side effects from the vaccine can include pain at injection site, shivering, fatigue or fever, said Dr. Doug Drevets, chief of infectious disease at OU Health.

“These vaccines have very few serious side effects, side effects so bad that you might have to take day off from work,” Drevets said.

Health care workers, long-term care providers and residents, paramedics and emergency medical technicians and CVS and Walgreens staff who will administer the vaccine in long-term care facilities will be the first to receive doses in Oklahoma.

Frye said more than 166,000 total vaccine doses are expected by the end of the month, which includes expected shipments of a second vaccine from Moderna Inc.

The Moderna vaccine is under consideration and could be approved in another week.

The health department on Saturday reported 233,336 total virus cases and 2,042 deaths since the pandemic began, increases of 3,983 cases and 35 more deaths from Friday.

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