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In a tweet Tuesday, Governor Greg Abbott said a COVID-19 vaccine “is expected to arrive later this month.” However, healthcare organizations believe the distro won’t be widely available until mid-2021 at the earliest.
“The cures for Covid (coronavirus) are coming,” he tweeted from his account. “… The Covid (coronavirus) vaccine is expected to arrive later this month. TX (Texas) will distribute them immediately.”
According to the World Health Organization, there is no clear date on which a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine will be ready for distribution, saying their experts estimate next year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Operation Warp Speed External, a partnership between several health departments that aims to rapidly develop and distribute a vaccine, plans to have its first supply before the end of 2020. However, the CDC says there won’t be enough doses available for all adults or children. The CDC estimates that all adults should be able to get the vaccine later in 2021.
READ ALSO: Coronavirus updates: SA mayor tweets COVID-19 test results
In addition to his tweet, Abbott said in a press release Tuesday that a new drug approved by the FDA by Eli Lilly & Co. is expected to immediately ship around 80,000 doses across the country, including to Texas. The drug, which has been shown to improve symptoms in people with COVID-19, is expected to contain up to one million doses by the end of the year, the statement said.
On Tuesday, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced that it had developed a vaccine that it said showed 90% effectiveness in preventing coronavirus. The company is awaiting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Globally, more than 100 vaccines are in development.
Here’s where the other major vaccines are
Moderna Therapeutics, a Massachusetts-based biotech company, is in its third phase of development, but told the New York Times in September that the vaccine was unlikely to be widely available in the first half of 2021.
Novavax, a biotech company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, also announced in September the launch of its phase three trial in the UK. The trial will evaluate the vaccine in up to 10,000 people, with and without underlying conditions.
In October, Bharat Biotech, an Indian biotechnology company, approved the launch of phase three trials with 26,000 participants at more than 25 centers across India.
Priscilla Aguirre is general mission journalist for MySA.com | [email protected] | @CillaAguirre
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