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Approval of one vaccine in the U.S. could come as early as next week

Britain became the first country in the world to authorize a tested COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday and could be dispensing shots within days — a historic step toward eventually ending the scourge that has killed more than 1.4 million people around the globe.

In giving the go-ahead for emergency use of the vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, Britain vaulted past the United States by at least a week. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is not scheduled to consider the vaccine until Dec. 10.

Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency recommended the vaccine after clinical trials showed it was 95% effective and offered significant protection for older people. The vaccine remains experimental while final testing is done. Every country has different rules for determining when an experimental vaccine is safe and effective enough to use. China and Russia have offered different vaccines to their citizens before they had gone through large-scale, late-stage testing. On “CBS This Morning,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Monday, if approved, vaccines could be available in the United States before Christmas, and that it would be governors who decide which segments of the population would be first in line to receive them.

Azar said that after Pfizer applied for its Emergency Use Authorization, the FDA announced an advisory committee meeting for Dec. 10. “If everything is on track, everything proves out what it appears to be, we could be looking at approval within days after that,” he said. “Moderna is basically one week behind that. And General Perna, the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, said that we’ll ship within 24 hours of FDA authorization.”

Vaccine basics U.S. vaccines

Moderna’s vaccine still awaits emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which plans to meet on Dec. 17 to discuss the company's application.

The FDA will meet on Dec. 10 to discuss Pfizer’s vaccine.

As of Friday, there were 26 vaccines in Phase 1 trials, 15 in Phase 2 and nine in Phase 3. None have been approved to date.

How long is immunity?

No one is sure yet how long vaccine-induced immunity will last. But biotech company Moderna’s vaccine offered trial participants immunity up to three months after the second shot.

Vaccine distribution planning

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created a five-phase rollout plan for distribution to the public.

PHASE 1: Health care workers and first responders (5% of population)

PHASE 2: People with medical conditions and older adults in dense settings (10%)

PHASE 3: Essential workers, teachers, people in prisons, shelters (30-35%)

PHASE 4: Young adults and children (40-45%)

PHASE 5: All remaining residents (5-15%)