San Diego County received its first deliveries of the second COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday.
The Moderna vaccine was approved by the FDA for emergency use late last week and by the Advisory Committee to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this weekend.
San Diego County received 20,000 doses in this first shipment of the first allocation of 43,700 Moderna vaccines to the region. Some local health care systems had vaccines shipped directly to them.
The 43,700 doses of Moderna's vaccine are in addition to the roughly 28,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine that started arriving in San Diego County last week.
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Like the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna vaccine requires two doses for each recipient. Health care providers will ensure that recipients receive both doses from the same manufacturer, appropriately spaced apart.
Moderna's vaccines are administered 28 days apart, while Pfizer's vaccine is given 21 days apart.
"The arrival of the Moderna vaccine gives us another vital tool in fighting COVID-19 and protecting those who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus," said Dr. Wilma J. Wooten, San Diego County's public health officer.
"While the arrival of more COVID-19 vaccines is good news, it will take months until the general public will get vaccinated."
