SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The Moderna vaccine, now approved by the FDA, arrived in San Diego Monday. Like the Pfizer vaccine, it is more than 90% effective and requires two doses.
A spokesperson for Rady Children's Hospital confirmed the hospital received a shipment of the Moderna vaccine Monday, and all doses will go to frontline health care workers as early as Tuesday morning.
"Super excited! I don't want to steal Dr. Fauci's words, but when he said it was 'Like the cavalry is coming,' that's exactly how I feel. Like there is finally light at the end of the tunnel," said Leslie Sullivan.
Sullivan took part in the Moderna vaccine trial.
"My thought was 'Why not me? Somebody needs to do this' and we need to put COVID-19 in our rearview mirror," she said. "Honestly I think the vaccine is the best way to do it."
She said after the second dose, she came down with flu-like symptoms and she was glad. She suspects she received the vaccine, and not the placebo.
"It was 101 degree temperature, it was fever, it was chills, it felt exactly like having the flu," she said. She said the symptoms only lasted 36 hours.
"I laid in bed, I took Tylenol. I woke up the next morning, I was fine," she said.
The Moderna vaccine has been authorized for people ages 18 or older.
But unlike the ultra cold temperatures needed for Pfizer's vaccine, storage is more simple for Moderna's vaccine. It can be shipped at regular freezer temperatures. It has a longer shelf life of 30 days.
Hospitals throughout San Diego are expecting to receive shipments early this week.
Sullivan said she understands there are skeptics out there, but her message is this:
"I think it's fair to say everyone hates COVID-19 and everybody wants it gone. But then you've got people who don't want to wear their masks, they don't want to social distance, and they don't want to stop seeing people, and they don't want a vaccine. So you can't have it all those ways," she said. "If you want to be done with it, if you want to get back to restaurants and seeing your family, roll up your sleeve and get a shot. Take the vaccine."
Moderna said it aims to provide about 20 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year and 85 to 100 million doses will be available in the United States by early 2021.