(Updated)
Guam is anticipating to receive a total of 11,700 doses of anti-Covid19 vaccine that will fully immunize 5,850 individuals, according to the Department of Public Health and Social Services.
According to the health agency, details about the Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Policy Committee, which will be responsible for advising DPHSS on identifying critical population groups who will receive the first round of vaccines and other Covid-19 vaccine-related matters, will be announced soon.
On Dec. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended to vaccinate both health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities during the initial phases of Covid-19 vaccine availability.
The vaccine supply will be shipped in three batches. The first shipment of 3,900 vaccines-- ordered on Dec. 4 and is expected to arrive in mid to late December-- will be allocated as a first dose while the second shipment of 3,900 will be allocated as a second dose 21 days later. The third shipment of 3,900 doses will then be divided into two doses for 1,950 individuals spaced 21 days apart.
DPHSS said Guam currently has three ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers on island capable of storing vaccines.
The three ULT freezers have been on island and were previously acquired for other purposes.
Through a collaborative federal partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), local and federal health officials are monitoring daily temperature logging of the three ULT freezers to ensure they function properly. Two of the three ULT freezers will be operational while the third will serve as a redundancy.
DPHSS said it has ensured all three ULT freezers are positioned in locations equipped with backup generators. The vaccination storage sites will be manned with security personnel 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The order for the second batch of 3,900 doses is scheduled to be placed on Dec. 18. DPHSS has also been approved by the CDC to place a third order of 3,900 doses of Vaccine A, however the department has not been given a firm date of when it can place its third order.
On Tuesday, the Joint Information Center reported seven new cases out of 177 tests performed on Monday. To date, there have been a total of 7,026 officially reported cases of COVID-19 with 113 deaths, 665 cases in active isolation and 6,248 not in active isolation.
As of Dec. 8, the COVID Area Risk (CAR) Score is 2.1.
"Due to today’s holiday, the CAR Score will be recalculated once reports from all participating labs are up to date. The CAR Score accounts for the incidence of new cases, how well current testing identifies these cases, and the rate of spread," the govenrment said, adding that the longterm goal is to sustain a CAR score of 2.5 or less, "which has been shown to correlate with very low to zero Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths."
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