Needles...*shudder*

 The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for emergency use in the UK and vaccinations of healthcare workers and those at extreme risk will begin soon.

An EUA is likely in the US by the end of the month.

Which means now we need to start thinking about how we're going to get everyone vaccinated.

Ideally, more vaccines will also be approved (the more the better), and manufacturing capacity is being increased.

Still, vaccinating everyone is a challenge. So, how are we going to get the vaccine?

For most Americans, the answer is likely to be "at a pharmacy." Pharmacists routinely give other adult vaccinations and some have nurses who can also give pediatric shots.

In rural America, though, there may be more challenges. Some out of the box thinking is already happening.

Last year, Oregon passed a law allowing dentists to give vaccinations. This makes more sense than you think. Dental nurses are trained to give local anesthesia shots in the mouth. This is much harder than administering a vaccination. However, dentists aren't going to have the storage facilities for the mRNA vaccine. They may, however, be able to give the Astra-Zeneca shot if it's approved.

Another out of the box possibility: Veterinarians, who are used to giving shots to far less cooperative patients.

And, obviously, there's also been a lot of discussion of sending nurses to workplaces to do clinics. This will probably work well for critical infrastructure workers. For example, it would be cost effective to send a nurse and a special cooler to a meat packing plant and vaccinate workers as they leave at the end of their shifts.

And when it comes to delivering the vaccine to the pharmacist, there's some fun stuff going on there.

In the UK, the relatively remote Isles of Scilly may receive their vaccine doses by...drone.

(I've been to the Isles of Scilly. It was not a fun trip. I am never getting on that ferry again).

Drone delivery might also be considered in other parts of the world.

Most vaccine supplies are going to be delivered by plane; and it's entirely likely passenger planes idled by the reduced travel demand will be used.

Please get vaccinated when it's offered to you. Despite the unprecedented speed, the science is solid.

I'm just glad I can walk to a pharmacist.