U.S. Coronavirus: FDA Prepares To Validate Second Vaccine As Covid-19 Deaths Pass 40,000 This Month

If the Moderna vaccine is cleared, officials expect an additional 7.9 million doses of vaccine to be shipped to states next week, said Admiral Brett Giroir, deputy health secretary at the Department of Health and Social Services. Earlier this week, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said two million doses of Pfizer vaccine and 5.9 million doses of Moderna had been allocated for next week.

“We still anticipate that every American will have the opportunity to be vaccinated by June,” Giroir said.

The task ahead now is to fight the skepticism of many communities about the vaccine and get the facts out, according to Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

“I have been fortunate to be intimately involved in every step of the development of these vaccines. There have been no shortcuts, there is no hidden information,” he told CNN. “This is something you want to do, for yourself, for your family, for the future of our nation.”

“Because if we don’t get to the point where 70 to 80 percent of Americans are vaccinated, it could go on and on and we could lose even more lives, and that would be the worst possible tragedy,” he added.

Some States See Covid-19 Figures Rise, Others Relax Restrictions

The country reported more than 230,000 new cases and more than 3,200 deaths on Thursday. This month alone, the United States has reported more than 42,000 deaths related to Covid-19.

Florida has reported the highest number of new daily cases since mid-July. The governor of Kentucky announced a record number of new deaths, saying it was “by far the most people we have lost.” Pennsylvania health officials announced the state’s hospitalization count was double its spring peak, with more than 1,200 Covid-19 patients in the ICU.

“We continue to hear of additional hospitals across the state that have few ICU beds or, in some cases, no ICU beds,” Health Secretary Dr Rachel Levine said Thursday.

But while many states are still struggling with a fierce spread, others are easing restrictions.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said this week that the number of Covid-19 cases has declined in the state, and announced that she is lifting all curfews on bars and restaurants and removing them. limitations for social gatherings.

Bars and restaurants will be able to resume their normal activities as long as patrons are seated to eat or drink, wear masks when not seated, are seated six feet from other groups and there is no more eight people per group, the governor said. The governor also announced that she is lifting the assembly limits, but a six-foot distance is required between groups.

In Utah, where health officials have said state hospitals are operating at full capacity, Gov. Gary Herbert announced he was removing the restriction on alcohol sales after 10 p.m., saying Local bars and restaurants had demonstrated their willingness to apply physical distancing and mask wearing when patrons were not eating or drinking.

“We appreciate the willingness to step up and help enforce protocols that make bars and restaurants a safe environment for the customer to come and participate,” said the governor.

“ Two more dark months ahead of us ”

As the country waits for the effects of the vaccines to actually manifest – which is unlikely to happen until early summer, when vaccines become more widely available – the tools that could immediately help curb the spread of the virus are those that have been touted by experts for months: face masks, social distancing and regular hand washing.

“You don’t want to just say, ‘Well, we’re almost there,’ because we’re not. We still have a few dark months ahead of us if we don’t do something at this point to try to stop this terrible upward trend in hospitalizations, cases and deaths. “

“Now is not the time to let our guard down and get together for the holidays,” he added.

Heads of state have echoed the warning in recent days, urging residents to reconsider their vacation plans.

In Wisconsin, a state which has been particularly hard hit since the start of the fall wave, Gov. Tony Evers urged residents to virtually celebrate, adding that hospitals remain “under pressure” and continue to report staff shortages .

In California, a county health official called the soaring Covid-19 numbers a “post-vacation surge that doesn’t need to be.”

“It’s a lot of mixing that shouldn’t have happened, but it did, and it created a huge increase in our cases for us,” said Los Angeles County director of public health. , Barbara Ferrer.

“We’re entering a new holiday season. We really need people to stay home. Don’t mix, don’t travel.”

In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee said that while the authorization of vaccines is a turning point in the pandemic, the sobering reality is that more residents are falling ill and decisions made during the holidays of Thanksgiving are having a serious impact on the state hospital. system.

“One thing this vaccine will not solve or cure is selfishness or indifference to what is happening to our neighbors around us,” he said.

Some states will receive fewer doses of vaccine

Several states – including Iowa, Illinois, Washington, Michigan, and Oregon – have also been told by the federal government to expect fewer doses of Pfizer vaccine than originally promised.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee wrote on Twitter Thursday that he had been told the state’s vaccine allowance “would be reduced by 40% next week,” and added “no explanation has been given. been given “.

The cause of the delay remains uncertain for many. A spokesperson for HHS said jurisdictions’ allowance reduction reports are “incorrect” and states as a whole will receive their full supplies – although deliveries may be spread over a longer period.

“As was done for the initial shipments of Pfizer vaccine, jurisdictions will receive vaccine at different sites over several days. This lightens the burden on jurisdictions and spreads the workload over several days. This same process has been used successfully. for the initial distribution of Pfizer vaccine, and we are just applying the lessons learned, ”the spokesperson said.

“We have millions of additional doses in our warehouse, but at this time we have not received any shipping instructions for additional doses,” Pfizer said.