Oct. 28, 2020

The state of South Dakota is planning for a time when a COVID-19 vaccine could be available.

Health department officials said the federal government has asked them to have a distribution plan in place by mid-November.

Several vaccine manufacturers are in final stages of clinical trials and have estimated they could seek emergency-use authorization from the FDA in late November or December.

“We expect to see vaccine being allocated … in the very near future,” Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon said.

“That vaccine obviously will be lifesaving for thousands of South Dakotans, so we’re very excited for this development.”

The first to receive a vaccine will be health care workers and first responders, which the state estimates includes 23,000 South Dakotans. The next to receive a vaccine will be those in at-risk populations, including those with underlying health conditions, followed by the general population.

“We are working very actively with health care systems and providers across the state to ensure we will be ready to deliver vaccine as soon as it is available,” Malsam-Rysdon said.

Pfizer, which appears to be farthest along in its clinical trials, said this week that seeking emergency-use authorization in late November is a realistic possibility. Moderna and AstraZeneca are likely to be after that but could still be this year. The state has not been told which vaccine it could be allocated, officials said.

The state also said it is looking into 28 people who might have been reinfected with COVID-19. That includes working with the University of Minnesota to determine if these individuals might have contracted different strains of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not given guidance about how to determine reinfections.

For those currently infected with the virus or potentially exposed, the state has launched an online calculator to determine how to handle isolation and quarantine. To see it, click here. 

Find COVID-19 case numbers, other updates here