Month: December 2020

On Sunday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel recommended that frontline essential workers and persons 75 years and older should be next in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 13 to 1 to recommend 30 million frontline essential workers, which include first responders, teachers, food and agriculture, manufacturing, U.S. Postal Service, public transit, and grocery store workers, be the next priority for the vaccines. However, it wasn’t immediately clear when the next round of vaccinations would begin.

About 200 million people including non-frontline workers, persons in the 65-74 age group, and those aged 16-64 years with high-risk conditions should be in the ensuing round, the panel recommended. The group had already recommended that frontline healthcare workers and nursing home residents be the first priority groups. Mortality rates are highest in older adults who contract COVID-19, with the 75-years-and-older population accounting for 25% of COVID-19 associated hospitalizations.

Federal authorities have said that vaccine production will ramp up in the coming months. Officials for U.S. Operation Warp Speed have said that they will distribute enough doses for 100 million Americans to be vaccinated by the end of February. The first 2.9 million doses of Pfizer Inc’s vaccine were shipped on Dec. 13. They expect to distribute an additional 2 million doses this week as well as 5.9 million doses of Moderna Inc’s vaccine.

CDC advisory group: Older adults, front-line essential workers to get Covid vaccine next

Via www.nbcnews.com

Vaccines are expected to start going out to these groups in the coming weeks.

12/20/2020 3:38 PM

 

The U.S. Senate reached a deal on a $900 billion coronavirus relief package on Sunday. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced Sunday evening that lawmakers had come to an agreement on a COVID-19 aid package and a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill but did not provide details. A vote could be delayed until Monday because several senators would need to return to town,

On Friday, Congress had adopted a two-day short-term funding extension to prevent a government shutdown. The relief contains direct stimulus checks between $600 and $700. The package also includes $300 per week in jobless benefits, $330 billion for small business loans, more than $80 billion for schools, and several billion dollars for vaccine distribution.

After 9 months, Congress reaches COVID-19 compromise deal

Via abcnews.go.com

Top Congressional lawmakers announced a roughly $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill just hours…

12/20/2020 6:33 PM

 

Editorial credit: Matthew Forero / Shutterstock.com

The Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted on Thursday to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna for emergency use authorization.

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 20-0 to issue an EUA for the vaccine. The vote came after a roughly 8-hour meeting of the committee to discuss the efficacy and potential side effects of the vaccine. If the FDA issues the EUA, initial shipments could begin within days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must also give its approval. The FDA and CDC took the same steps to approve the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech last Friday and the first vaccinations were given to health workers on Monday.

Moderna said last month its two-dose mRNA-1273 vaccine was tested among participants in a 30,000-volunteer clinical trial. The FDA review said the vaccine is highly protective for adults and prevents severe cases of the coronavirus disease.

The U.S. government has plans to purchase 200 million doses of the Moderna vaccine if it’s approved.

FDA advisers recommend Moderna’s Covid vaccine, nation’s second

Via www.nbcnews.com

The endorsement comes on the heels of the first doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccines being given…

12/17/2020 5:52 PM

 

Editorial credit: Giovanni Cancemi / Shutterstock.com