Watch: Q&A on what you need to know about COVID-19 vaccines

Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses are on the way to California. Within days, thousands of health care workers could start receiving the vaccine for the first phase of distribution.

Though far from a silver bullet to end the pandemic, the vaccine is considered one of the most critical tools we can use to battle COVID-19.

But who will get the shots first? Is the vaccine safe? Do you still have to wear a mask and socially distance if you get immunized? When will life get back to normal?

Join Sacramento Bee politics reporter Hannah Wiley for a Q&A with health experts Dr. Richard Pan, a California state senator, and Dr. John Belko, an infectious disease specialist with Kaiser Permanente, for a discussion on the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in California, how it will change the fight against the deadly virus and what it means for you.

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Dr. Richard Pan is a pediatrician, former UC Davis educator and state senator representing Sacramento, West Sacramento, Elk Grove and unincorporated areas of Sacramento County.

Dr. John Belko is a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center. He participates in the active surveillance of the epidemiology of infections in the greater Sacramento area.

Reporter Hannah Wiley moderated the conversation. She covers California Capitol and state politics for The Sacramento Bee. She reports on the state’s housing crisis, education equity, homelessness initiatives and police accountability.

This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Watch: Q&A on what you need to know about COVID-19 vaccines."