JIC RELEASE NO. 494 - Guam Receives First Shipment of COVID-19 Vaccines

Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) Director Arthur San Agustin announced the arrival in Guam of the first 3,900 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The doses were sent as part of the initial nationwide shipments that followed the Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 12.

The department plans to begin vaccinations on Thursday, December 17 at Okkodo High School in Dededo, where the school cafeteria and gymnasium will be set up as a temporary vaccination clinic. The initial doses will be administered through closed points of dispensing (PODs).

DPHSS has partnered with the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMHA) and the Guam Regional Medical City (GRMC) to administer the first doses of the vaccines to those identified under the Phase 1 priority group. DPHSS will distribute vaccines to both GMHA and GRMC, which will administer doses to their respective staff who have been pre-identified to receive the first doses.

The initial doses are dedicated for use as the first of the required two-dose regimen. The manufacturer has reserved an equal number of the second dose, which will be shipped in the coming weeks.

The vaccination plan developed by DPHSS largely follows recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and prioritizes healthcare workers who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19, such as nurses, physicians, first responders, and residents of long-term care facilities. Prioritizing beyond these groups will be defined by the Guam Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Policy Committee (VAPPC).

COVID-19 vaccine implementation will include an initial limited-supply phase followed by a general implementation phase, when large supplies of the vaccine become available.

The FDA stated that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease. The vaccine is administered as a series of two doses, 21 days apart.

Recommended guidelines from the CDC and ACIP will be used to train DPHSS nurses, vaccinators, and staff in preparation for the administration of the first doses of the vaccine on Guam.

For the latest information on COVID-19, visit dphss.guam.gov or guamrecovery.com. For inquiries on COVID-19, contact 311 through a local number, or call the Joint Information Center at (671) 478-0208/09/10.