[ad_1]
NEW YORK – Britain became the first Western country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, ahead of the United States and Europe after its regulator authorized a vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use in record time.
Pfizer, with its partner BioNTech SE and its rival Moderna have published test data showing that its COVID-19 vaccines are 95% effective in preventing the disease, while AstraZeneca said last month that its vaccine was effective average 70%.
Companies have said that distribution could begin almost immediately after any approval, with governments around the world deciding who gets them and in what order. The following is a summary of the process:
WHEN WILL COMPANIES DEPLOY A VACCINE?
Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have already started manufacturing their vaccines, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will launch early next week in Britain.
This year, Pfizer said it would have enough to inoculate 25 million people, Moderna will have enough for 10 million people, and AstraZeneca will have enough for more than 100 million people.
The United States Department of Defense and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will manage the distribution in the United States, and about 20 million people are expected to be vaccinated by the end of the year.
Between 60 and 70 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine could be available per month starting in January, and most Americans will have access to vaccines by mid-2021, the government said Tuesday.
In the European Union, it is up to each country in the 27-member bloc to begin distributing vaccines to their populations.
WHO WOULD RECEIVE AN APPROVED VACCINE AND WHEN IN THE UNITED STATES?
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will make a decision on the emergency use authorization of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in days or weeks after a panel of external advisers meets on December 10 to discuss whether recommend it. The FDA often, but not always, follows the advice of the panel.
With FDA clearance, the CDC plans to have the first in line for vaccines to be approximately 21 million healthcare workers and 3 million residents in long-term care facilities.
Essential workers, a group of 87 million people who perform crucial jobs that cannot be done from home, are likely to be the next group. This includes firefighters, police, school employees, transportation workers, food and agricultural workers, and food service employees.
About 100 million adults with high-risk medical conditions and 53 million adults over the age of 65, also considered to be at higher risk for serious illness, are the next priority.
US public health officials said the vaccines will be generally available to most Americans in pharmacies, clinics and doctor’s offices starting in April, so that anyone who wants an injection can get it by the end of June. .
It is not clear when a vaccine will be available for children. Pfizer and BioNTech have started testing their vaccine on volunteers as young as 12 years old.
WHEN WILL A VACCINE BE AVAILABLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES?
Britain will begin deployment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this month. The country had ordered 40 million doses, enough for just under a third of the population.
Nursing home residents and their caregivers will be the top priority to receive the vaccine, followed by those over 80 and front-line healthcare workers.
The European Union (EU), Japan, Canada and Australia are implementing rapid vaccine regulatory processes.
The EU’s medicines regulator, the European Medicines Agency, said it could grant conditional marketing approval for Pfizer’s vaccine before December 29 and make a decision on Moderna’s on January 12.
Most countries in the region have said that the first vaccines would go to the elderly and vulnerable and front-line workers.
Many of this year’s AstraZeneca doses are expected to go to Britain, where health officials have said that, if approved, they could start vaccinating people in December.
Countries say they are purchasing vaccines through the European Commission’s joint procurement scheme, which has agreements for six different vaccines and nearly 2 billion doses.
Delivery times vary and most countries are still working on plans to distribute and administer injections.
Italy expects to receive the first deliveries of the Pfizer-BioNTech injection and the AstraZeneca injection early next year. Spain plans to administer vaccines in January.
Hungary’s foreign minister said the doses would arrive in the spring at the earliest.
Germany, home to BioNTech, hopes to roll out vaccines in early 2021 with mass vaccination centers in showrooms, airport terminals and concert halls. It will also use mobile equipment for residences.
WHEN WILL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES HAVE ACCESS TO VACCINES?
COVAX, a program run by the World Health Organization and the GAVI vaccine group to raise funds from richer countries and nonprofit organizations to purchase and distribute vaccines to dozens of poorer countries, has raised $ 2 billion.
Their first goal is to vaccinate 3% of the population of these countries with the ultimate goal of reaching 20%. You have signed an interim agreement to purchase the AstraZeneca vaccine, which does not require storage in specialized ultra-cold equipment such as the Pfizer vaccine.
It is expected, but not certain, that less wealthy countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, such as India, will receive vaccines at low or no cost under this program in 2021. Other countries, such as those in Latin America, may buy vaccines through COVAX. Several are also making supply deals directly with drug companies.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Vaccine manufacturers and governments have negotiated variable prices, not all of which are public. Governments have paid from a few dollars per injection for AstraZeneca to $ 50 for Pfizer’s two-dose regimen. Many countries have said they will cover the cost of vaccinating their residents.
– Information from Carl O’Donnell and Julie Steenhuysen; Additional reporting by Michael Erman in New York, Caroline Copley in Berlin, Francesco Gaurascio in Brussels, Josephine Mason in London, Krisztina Than in Budapest, Tsvetelia Tsolova in Sofia and Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Edited by Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot, Josephine Mason and Alex Richardson
[ad_2]
