CDC panel: COVID vaccines must go to health workers, long-term care citizens first

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Healthcare facility staff work in the COVID-19 extensive care unit in Houston. Photo: Go Nakamura via Getty

Health-care workers and retirement home locals must be at the front of the line to get coronavirus vaccines in the United States once they’re cleared and readily available for public usage, an independent CDC panel suggested in a 13 -1 emergency vote on Tuesday, per CNBC

Why it matters: Recent developments in COVID-19 vaccines have actually accelerated the timeline for distribution as vaccines established by Pfizer and Moderna undergo the federal approval process. States are preparing to begin dispersing as soon as 2 weeks from now.

The big photo: The dispute over who must get the vaccine first has roiled the U.S. since the pandemic began.

  • Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CNBC last month that roughly 40 million doses will be readily available by year’s end. That’s enough to inoculate about 20 million individuals, since Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines need to be taken in 2 dosages about a month apart.
  • In the U.S., there are approximately 21 million health-care workers and 3 million long-term care locals, per a discussion given during the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that CNBC points out.
  • Most states and local jurisdictions will likely require around 3 weeks to immunize all health-care workers, Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Breathing Illness, informed CNBC.

What to enjoy: CDC director Robert Redfield is prepared for to decide by Wednesday whether to accept the suggestion as the agency’s official guidance to states.

  • But, however, but: Though states aren’t bound to the CDC’s guidance, they can offer a structure for planning, which many states adopt. The final call will be made by governors.
  • UPS, FedEx, McKesson trucking and drug stores are collaborating with Pfizer and Moderna to transfer and provide vaccines.

Learn More

https://covid19globalcases.com/cdc-panel-covid-vaccines-must-go-to-health-workers-long-term-care-citizens-first/

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