U.S. UNVEILS VACCINE PLAN
20M could get shots in December
WASHINGTON • U. S. officials on Monday unveiled details for the swift distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to millions of Americans after the United States broke records for new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.
The rampant virus infected 4.36 million more people in November, more than doubling the previous month, as large numbers of Americans still refuse to wear masks and travel for holiday gatherings against the recommendations of health experts.
With outgoing President Donald Trump's coronavirus strategy relying heavily on a vaccine, the chief adviser of his administration's Operation Warp Speed program said on Tuesday that 20 million people could be vaccinated by the end of 2020, and that by the middle of 2021 most Americans will have access to highly effective vaccines.
“Within 24 hours, maybe at most 36 to 48 hours, from the approval, the vaccine can be in people's arms,” Moncef Slaoui, a former GlaxosmithKline executive, said at an event conducted by The Washington Post.
Operation Warp Speed, charged with accelerating development COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, could help provide the United States with 60 million to 70 million doses per month by January, with vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc, Slaoui said.
A Food and Drug Administration panel of outside advisers will meet on Dec. 10 to discuss whether to recommend that the FDA authorize emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine.
The advisers will consider the Moderna candidate a week later, officials have said.
First in line for vaccinations could be about 21 million health-care workers and 3 million residents in longterm care facilities, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said.
In the meantime, leading health officials are pleading with Americans to follow their recommendations to help arrest a pandemic that killed more than 37,000 people in the United States in November alone.
A record of nearly 96,000 COVID-19 patients were in hospitals on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally.
Officials are concerned about the strain on healthcare systems and overworked providers with hospitalization and deaths expected to spike after millions travelled for Thanksgiving last week and with the Christmas holiday season fast approaching.
The pandemic and restrictions meant to stop it have ravaged the U. S. economy, but Congress on Tuesday showed signs of moving forward with long-delayed economic relief.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives proposed a $908 billion relief bill that would fund measures through March 31.