Today marks when some Americans will start to receive the covid vaccine. It will be administered primarily to high-risk individuals, healthcare workers, and elderly patients in nursing homes. Individuals in nursing homes are especially high risk and account for about 40% of all covid deaths in the US. Healthcare workers also must be protected due to their constant exposure to the virus. Treating these individuals will be phase 1 in the 4 phase plan to administer enough of the general public with the vaccine that we are able to develop herd immunity.  In just a few months we can expect the Vaccine to be administered to the average citizen.

The exact timing will depend on how long it takes to get FDA approval and the number of doses available. For this vaccine, two doses are necessary. One primes the body, and then a few weeks later a stronger vaccine is given. Judging by these factors experts have determined that the second phase of this vaccine should be administered around early April. Phase 2 will include children k-12 and by the time this phase is complete around 40-50% of the population is expected to be vaccinated.

Phase three, on the other hand, will be much more difficult to implement. This phase will include young adults, children, and essential workers. It may take months until enough doses of the vaccine are available that this entire demographic can be protected. Until the end of phase three, it is unlikely that things will return to normal. Phase four will simply include the remainder of the population, but by this point around 80% of the population will have been protected, and the vaccine will be a precaution rather than a necessity.