Among dozens of COVID-19 vaccines now in clinical trials, at least a few front-runners appear to be headed toward the finish line of federal approval. Meanwhile, in an effort to prep health care providers to hit the ground running, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing training for administering shots and proper vaccine care and distribution.

Simultaneously, the state Department of Health (DOH) must continue to ramp up its readiness by refining a Hawaii-specific plan that gives special attention to local communities hardest hit by the virus.

It’s encouraging that the DOH, in tandem with scores of stakeholder organizations, is pushing forward with a set of sensible goals. Among them: reserving the first doses for high-risk groups and ensuring that when several vaccines get green-lighted, people in certain population subgroups get the ones that hold the best outcome chances for their respective group.

However, some of the unknowns are worrisome, starting with the price tag. The DOH has estimated that it could cost Hawaii $25 million to get residents vaccinated. But so far, the state has received just $800,000 in federal funding — a sliver of what’s needed to address shipping, storage and other challenges.

For example, one of the leading vaccine contenders needs to be stored at minus 80 degrees Celsius, or minus 112 Fahrenheit, similar to conditions for transporting ice cream to grocery stores and eventually to people’s doorsteps. So hospitals, pharmacies and other sites may need specialized freezers as they’re folded into a cold-storage supply chain.

During a state House Health Committee briefing last week, DOH immunization chief Ronald Balajadia rightly pointed out that while voluntary vaccines hold potential to brighten the public health picture, thereby helping to revive Hawaii’s battered economy, they’re “just one piece” of several needed to “get some kind of control over this particular disease.” Other key pieces include mark-wearing, physical-distancing, frequent hand-washing, getting an annual flu shot, and simply staying at home when sick.

Any temptation to let our guard down should be stifled by the jaw-dropping infection rates on the mainland. The nationwide daily count of new cases last week topped 100,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, with nearly half of all states recording more cases in their latest seven-day tally than in any other weeklong stretch.

Epidemiologist David Swerdlow, who serves on a Pfizer Vaccines team focused on medical development, told Hawaii lawmakers that on a national scale, “you need to have 50% to 60% of the population immune in order to prevent ongoing transmission. We’re probably only at 10 or 20, at the most, percent.”

On a statewide scale, Balajadia said, a best-case scenario would see Hawaii hovering at herd immunity — about 700,000 people successfully vaccinated — about six months into vaccine distribution. The effort would start with vaccinating high-risk groups — including, among others, health care workers and seniors age 65 and older living in group settings.

The DOH plan envisions a time-consuming but necessary deployment of “strike teams” to remote areas to serve vulnerable populations — in some cases, with nurses or other trained health care personnel motoring to households to administer shots. For mass vaccination, there could be clinics aligned with physical-distancing protocols, including drive-thrus.

As the vaccine race continues, Hawaii must not slip into flat-footed pursuit. Rather, the DOH and all stakeholders, along with state lawmakers and others, should step up our pace in seeking much-needed funding for the overall plan, and put in place a highly efficient and effective distribution strategy.