The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
⏩ Blumenthal: Vaccine coming, but masks likely needed through 2021.
NEW HAVEN — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal Friday praised the Yaleaided development of a coronavirus vaccine, but noted Americans likely will have to continue wearing masks through 2021 as the doses are rolled out and immunity ramps up in the population.
Blumenthal, speaking at a meeting with Yale officials, lauded the development of the vaccine, which Pfizer sought to have approved on an emergency basis by the Food and Drug Administration Friday.
The Yale Center for Clinical Investigation held a trial, led by Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu, to test the fledgling vaccine in recent months.
“We are at an apocalyptic moment in the spread of this disease right now,” said Blumenthal, noting the surge in cases in Connecticut and across the country. “A number of our
most trusted advisers have said we’re in for a dark time. But the strong glimmer of hope is this vaccine.”
Ogbuagu noted that Pfizer had announced that the vaccine had effectively prevented 95 percent of
mild to severe coronavirus cases.
“The vaccine has been really highly effective in preventing COVID-19, with 95 percent effectiveness that has held up over different demographics,” said Ogbuagu.
As this process plays out, people will have to continue to wear masks, socially distance and follow other coronavirus safety measures, Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal said one dose of the vaccine had been shown so far to offer a protective effect; Ogbuagu said that it would take 28 days, with a second dose necessary to further stimulate the immune response.
Blumenthal said the next challenge for the federal government would be rolling out the vaccine across the country, urging that $10 billion be set aside as part of the HEROES Act to ease distribution of the vaccine, as well as others in development, and study their effectiveness over time.
“We need to continue this push. No time for complacency or letting our guard down,” said Blumenthal. “In fact, just the opposite. We need increased vigor and rigor, scientifically, moving forward.”
Blumenthal said the trial had made an effort to involve people of color in the city, noting the importance of building confidence and trust around the vaccine.
Approximately 40 percent of those enrolled in the trial were people of color, said Nancy Brown, dean of the Yale School of Medicine.
Blumenthal said he believed, based on information shared by other federal officials, that the vaccine would become widely available over the course of 2021.
“It will be a gamechanger — it will be a life-changer — for millions of people in Connecticut and hundreds of millions of people across the United States and the world,” said Blumenthal.
But the roll-out depends “on the vibrancy of the distribution system,” Blumenthal said, noting that the “shipment and storage challenges are huge, simply because of the enormous number of doses that are involved,” as well as the specialized requirements for storing the medication.
Ogbuagu said it would take time for immunity to build up in the population, assuming that people take the vaccine in sufficient numbers.
“The fact of the vaccine in no way removes the need for mask-wearing, physical distancing, handwashing, and maybe, continued vigilance at points of commerce,” said Blumenthal.
“I’ve been in touch with members of the Biden transition team,” the senator said. “And you can count on President Biden to be emphasizing and re-emphasizing and, again, re-emphasizing the importance of mask-wearing throughout 2021, and other precautions, commonsense steps that we have been taking.”