U.S. close to approving vaccine
Shots could start as soon as this weekend
WASHINGTON • Economic relief and a vaccine drew nearer to reality on Wednesday to counter a coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the U.S. economy and killed 286,487 people with yearend holiday gatherings expected to fuel another surge in infections.
The U.S. House of Representatives was set to vote on Wednesday on a one-week stopgap funding bill that will buy more time to reach a deal on COVID-19 relief, with a separate aid packages of more than US$900 billion on the table.
Help is urgently needed as the United States reported an average of 2,259 deaths and 205,661 new cases each day over the past week, an appalling trend that U. S. health officials warn is likely to accelerate.
Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said he expected Democrats and Republicans to work out most of the funding bill details on Wednesday.
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell told reporters, “We're still looking for a way forward.” He criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer for not accepting two Republican offers this week.
Part of the congressional debate involves aid to state and local governments. In addition to millions of job losses in the private sector, state and local governments have laid off nearly 700,000 workers this year, according to U.S. data, equal to 8.4 per cent of the workforce.
Vaccinations could start as soon as this weekend, possibly taking pressure off a health-care system buckling under a record 104,200 hospitalizations.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released documents on Tuesday that raised no new red flags over the safety or efficacy of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and German partner BionTech.
The documents were in preparation for a review of the vaccine's data on Thursday by a panel of outside advisers that will vote on whether to recommend the FDA issue an emergency authorization for its use.
FDA approval could come as soon as Friday or Saturday with the first U.S. injections happening on Sunday or Monday, Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser to the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed vaccine development program, told Fox News on Tuesday.
Britain became the first Western nation to begin mass inoculations with the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday.
The United States badly needs a new tool given that so many Americans refuse to wear masks or avoid crowds, measures that health officials say will still be needed even after mass vaccination programs begin.
Experts and officials expect another surge of infections and hospitalizations following year-end holiday gatherings.