Americans May Receive COVID-19 Vaccine In Mid-December: Senior Health Official

Photo: Test kits for studying disease vaccination of coronavirus Pfizer (COVID-19) are in the Research Centers of America in Hollywood, Florida, USA, on 24 September.. 2020. REUTERS / Marco Bello

The first Americans could receive a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as 24 hours after the FDA grants approval, which would kick off the largest inoculation campaign in US history starting in mid-December.

“Within 24 hours of approval, the vaccine will be moved and located in the areas where each state will have told us where they want the doses of the vaccine,” said Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific advisor to “Operation Warp Speed ​​”from the government. vaccination program, he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The effort to roll out vaccines nationwide for 330 million people comes as President Donald Trump has blocked the normal transition of government ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.

Slaoui said he expected a smooth transition and did not expect the vaccination effort to go off the rails.

External advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration will meet on December 10 to discuss whether to authorize the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech for emergency use.

Moderna Inc is expected to seek approval in late December for its COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccines will be distributed according to the population of each state, Slaoui said. Each state will decide who gets the vaccine first with the recommendation that priority be given to healthcare workers, frontline workers and the elderly who face the highest risks of dying from the virus.

About 70% of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, a goal the country could reach in May, he said.

As new COVID-19 cases continue to rise, millions of Americans are ignoring federal and state warnings to stay home during Thanksgiving to avoid overwhelming hospitals that are already overloaded.

Many people are trying to get tested before Thursday’s holiday, leading to long lines in New York City and elsewhere.

The testing shortage still affects many parts of the country and most of the pharmacies offering COVID-19 testing in the Chicago suburbs were fully booked before Thanksgiving and the long lines at state testing facilities. driving.

“We are clearly engaged now in a very, very difficult surge here across the United States and even globally,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, told NBC.

Last week, Biden called the vaccination program a “massive undertaking” and “one of the greatest challenges we will face as a nation.”

The United States must distribute tens of millions of vaccines and, at the same time, combat misinformation about vaccines spread on social media. A recent Gallup poll showed that only 58% of Americans would receive the vaccine, up from 50% in September.

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said it was crucial to have a smooth flow of information between Trump’s coronavirus experts and Biden’s transition team to avoid delays in distribution after Biden takes office. January 20.

Biden warned last week that “more people will die if we don’t coordinate.”

The number of coronavirus cases in the US has surpassed 12 million and increased by more than 1 million cases in less than a week for the first time.

Deaths have exceeded 255,000 and many health experts are warning that deaths will rise to more than 2,000 per day in the coming weeks.

The Inquirer Foundation supports our leaders in healthcare and still accepts cash donations to be deposited into the Banco de Oro (BDO) checking account # 007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link .

Read next

Don’t miss the latest news and information.

For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.