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Dr. Randall Williams said 51,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine could arrive soon after a Dec. 10 meeting of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee. He said doses of a vaccine from Moderna are expected the week of Dec. 21, if that emergency authorization use is approved. Department spokeswoman Lisa Cox said Wednesday that roughly 105,000 doses of that vaccine are expected.

That means tens of thousands of doses will arrive regularly, with more possible in the coming months as production increases and other vaccine candidates are approved.

On Wednesday, the United Kingdom became the .

In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news briefing Tuesday that the state, which has roughly double the population of Missouri, was expecting 109,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine. The vaccines are being allocated based on population.

Williams detailed the procedures that will be used to administer the first doses of the vaccine, and the logistical challenge of distributing millions of doses that will follow.

Those first doses also will be the first solid evidence of an eventual end to the global pandemic that has cost , infected more than 63 million people worldwide and devastated economies. It also represents the first sign of relief to exhausted health care workers on the cusp of a second wave of cases that could result in overwhelmed hospitals.

Williams said state officials found out last week how much of the vaccine they would receive from Pfizer. Officials sought distribution sites that would be able to store the vaccine at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit and be able to administer it to thousands of people in a short time. Ten sites have been chosen around the state, although Williams would not identify them for security reasons. Officials at those 10 sites said they could vaccinate about 35,000 health care workers and long-term care facility staff, he said, and officials now are expanding the number of distribution sites.

Williams said that state officials at all levels have been working on the distribution plan since July, “knowing that whatever plan we came up with we would have to adapt.”

“We’ve always known that we had to have the capacity to turn on a dime,” he added.

Priority list

Williams said health care workers and workers at long-term care facilities would receive the vaccine first, followed by residents of long-term care facilities. The says the intent in vaccinating those groups first is to reduce the stress on the health care system and the rate of death and disease. Residents and staff of long-term care facilities account for an estimated 40% of all U.S. deaths because of the virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Dr. Alex Garza, head of the ӣ����Ƶ Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said Wednesday that member hospitals were waiting to see how many doses they would receive.

“Each of the health care systems have their own plans in place on how they’re going to vaccinate their workforce and identifying who gets priority, even within our workforce, so obviously people that are working on COVID floors and that have … medical conditions that might put them at high risk are going to be prioritized over others.”

Williams said vaccination of the first groups should be complete by the end of January.

By February, roughly 3 million “critical infrastructure” workers probably will be able to get the vaccine, Williams said. That group includes workers at food manufacturing plants, teachers and first responders.

By that point, regional vaccination support and implementation teams will be in place to help in distribution, Williams said.

Within each phase of vaccine distribution, priority might need to be given to those older than 65 or who have health conditions that might put them at greater risk to be infected, he said.

‘Robust campaign’

The state is expected to reach phase three, when the vaccine is available to the general public, by mid-April or early May, Williams said. Residents should expect to see a “robust campaign” of mass vaccination events, including drive-thru vaccinations similar to the drive-thru testing that has occurred.

He said 70% to 80% of residents would have to already have been infected or vaccinated to achieve so-called herd immunity, which drastically reduces the chance of infection for even those who have not been vaccinated. But Williams recognizes that there will be challenges.

“We would love all 6.1 million Missourians to get vaccinated, but that’s not what our surveys are telling us,” Williams said. He said state officials, health officials and others will be reaching out to various groups with various messages. “We just think one size doesn’t fit all. We think different people respond to different messages.”

Part of that message comes through a state unveiled last month that is intended, in part, to debunk false information about the coronavirus and ease skeptics’ concerns about the safety of vaccines.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has said he wouldn’t mandate vaccination for those opposed to it, just as he has refused the entreaties of local officials and health care leaders to mandate mask wearing.

Despite the start of vaccinations, many of the recommendations aimed at slowing the spread of the virus won’t change, including the need for mask wearing, social distancing and the increased use of hand sanitizer and hand washing for the next six to eight months, Williams said.

He said that even with a vaccine that’s 95% effective, you don’t want to risk being in the 5%.

“That’s not going to work out that well for you,” he said.

Joel Currier of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

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Robert Patrick • 314-340-8131 @rxpatrick on Twitter RPatrick@post-dispatch.com