A group of experts will be convened to plan for distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine in Rhode Island once it becomes available, Gov. Gina Raimondo said Wednesday – and the state will conduct an “independent” process for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of any vaccine before its distribution.
“We’re thinking about it, we’re planning for it, and I want to be ahead of the game,” she said.
The governor added, however, that a vaccine will not represent a “silver bullet” when it comes to the pandemic.
She noted that a range of factors will be involved in the process – including the potential need for two separate doses of a vaccine, the time it will take for those receiving the inoculation to develop antibodies, and the sheer logistics of transporting and administering the shots to hundreds of thousands of people.
She also said money provided through the federal CARES Act and FEMA – as much as $30 million or more – will be set aside to support the distribution of a vaccine in the Ocean State when the time comes.
A full list of participants in the panel, which Raimondo described as a subcommittee of the Rhode Island Department of Health’s regular vaccine advisory panel, was set to be published online Wednesday afternoon.
The governor’s announcement comes amid ongoing uncertainty over the timeline for the readiness of a COVID-19 vaccine. President Donald Trump, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, recently said vaccines will be ready “momentarily.” Scientists and public health experts, however, have cautioned that such a speedy timetable is unlikely.
Raimondo said six vaccines are currently in “later-stage trials.” Citing what she described as “information and misinformation” about vaccine development online and in the media, she said: “I don’t know when the vaccine will be here. I don’t have a crystal ball, and I’m not going to tell you anything I’m not certain of … At this point, no one knows, so anyone who tells you they do, I’d be skeptical.”
She added: “I promise to tell you the truth. I promise to be fully transparent with you … From day one, I have said to you, come here for your information. Try to tune out the noise, try to tune out the politics.”
The governor additionally said the state will plan for vaccine distribution using an “equity lens.” Elsewhere during Wednesday’s briefing:
* Raimondo addressed the dedicated COVID-19 testing for the state’s K-12 school system
, saying 109 cases have been identified in students and staff among 6,000 tests conducted since the start of the school year. Another 151 positive cases among members of the school community were identified through other testing systems, the governor said.
The majority of the cases, just less than 60 percent, have been among in-person learners and staff. Ninety-five schools have experienced positive cases, although the governor said 69 of those schools had only one case.
Raimondo urged member of the K-12 community to schedule tests through the dedicated system by calling 844-857-1814.
She also pointed to a lack of outbreaks or transmission in the state’s public schools in saying “the system is working.”
“The last month has taught me we have a winning formula in Rhode Island,” she said. * Wednesday’s COVID-19 data
update from the Rhode Island Department of Health showed 145 new positive cases identified among 9,524 tests. That represents a positive test rate of 1.5 percent, although it should be noted the number of tests used to calculate that figure includes both those who have been tested repeatedly and those who have been tested for the first time.
One more person has died in connection with COVID-19, bringing Rhode Island’s overall toll to 1,126. As of Wednesday, 107 Rhode Islanders were hospitalized due to the virus.
Comparing last week to the week prior using three key metrics, Rhode Island saw its percent positive rate increase to 1.5 percent, up from 1.2 percent; its number of new hospital admissions drop from 70 to 66; and its number of new cases per 100,000 people increase from 71 to 92.
“You’re going to see us performing 10,000 or more tests a day, and that’s a good thing … When you’re testing so many people, you’re going to see new cases,” Raimondo said. * Raimondo made a plea for retired educators to step forward and serve as substitute teachers
for local districts. Filling substitute positions is an annual difficulty for schools, she said, but it has become “doubly or triply hard” this year.
Substitutes are especially needed to support distance learning, the governor said.
“Please consider coming back to be a substitute teacher … We just don’t have enough teachers for the virtual learning,” she said. * The governor has frequently been critical of Warwick Public Schools
and other districts that have resisted, or been slow to restore, in-person learning. On Wednesday, however, she applauded Warwick Superintendent Philip Thornton and the city’s School Committee for adopting a plan to gradually return K-6 students to classrooms.
“Today, they deserve a great deal of credit … You did the right thing for the children and families in Warwick,” she said.
The governor did have sharp words for Pawtucket’s school system, saying it is “not OK” for that community to continue holding off on an in-person reopening. * Asked about stimulus talks
in the nation’s capital and Trump’s shifting position on how to approach additional aid, Raimondo said: “My message to President Trump is, we need some certainty. Just tell us. Anyone in business will tell you that. Just give us some predictability … If we don’t get a stimulus, it’s going to be awful.”
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