US panel to assess Moderna Covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON: American experts were set to discuss Thursday if Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine should be authorized, as European nations vowed to get their coronavirus inoculation campaigns rolling before the end of the year.
Surges in infections have prompted tighter restrictions in several European countries, while the United States – the worst-hit nation in the world – set a double record, with more than 3,700 deaths and 250,000 new cases in 24 hours on Wednesday.
With the US floundering in its efforts to control the virus, Moderna’s vaccine is seen as a potential boost in the fight against Covid-19, and approval from the experts’ panel Thursday could potentially pave the way for a rollout early next week.
“Recent news on vaccines has been very positive. However, significant challenges and uncertainties remain with regard to the timing, production, and distribution of vaccines as well as their efficacy across different groups,” Jerome Powell, chair of the US Federal Reserve, said Wednesday.
“The ongoing surge in new Covid-19 cases both here, in the United States, and abroad is particularly concerning. And the next few months are likely to be very challenging.”
Should the panelists vote in favor of the Moderna vaccine, as is widely expected, the Food and Drug Administration is likely to give a green light soon after, making the US the first country to approve it.
The US has already started vaccinating people with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and is hoping to have 20 million people immunized in December.
Healthcare workers and long-term care residents are at the front of the line, and efforts are under way to convince the American public that the vaccines are safe.
The White House announced vice-president Mike Pence and his wife will get the vaccine on Friday in a public display, while a spokeswoman said President Donald Trump is ‘absolutely open to taking the vaccine’.
Since Trump recently recovered from a bout of Covid-19, he is thought to be currently immune.
Recent news on vaccines has been very positive. However, significant challenges and uncertainties remain with regard to the timing, production, and distribution of vaccines as well as their efficacy across different groups.
Jerome Powell