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In the United States, COVID-19 vaccines are imminent, leaving the whole country looking out the window in preparation for their arrival. Officials and health systems, already taxed by the skyrocketing number of cases, are making sure everything is ready when they arise. Here are a few things that are still on their to-do lists for vaccines:
Reserve the dates: Over the next few weeks, committees with the Food and Drug Administration will meet to decide whether or not to approve vaccine candidates for Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna. The Pfizer vaccine is the first, with a meeting scheduled for December 10. Moderna’s reunion will take place a week later, on December 17th. The committee will meet to discuss the mountains of clinical trial data and decide whether it is safe and effective enough to be distributed.
While the United States takes some time to do extensive vaccine background checks, others have accelerated the process. This week, the UK cleared the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, pressuring the US to do the same.
The seating arrangement: Once the FDA decides which vaccines are invited to the party, states must have a plan for their allotted doses. Friday, December 5 was the deadline for states to place orders for the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. And earlier this week, a CDC committee met to finalize its recommendations on who should get the vaccine first. The people most likely to receive the vaccine first are healthcare workers and people living and working in long-term care facilities.
Menu planning: As expected, the first vaccines are both two-dose vaccines, and the vaccines should be given weeks apart. It is a challenge for states, which must now ensure that everyone receives the right vaccine at the right time. They plan to use digital databases to track who got which vaccine and when they were vaccinated.
Empty the refrigerator (s): These vaccines should be stored very cold. They can both remain potent for some time at refrigerator-like temperatures, but for longer term storage Pfizer / BioNTech needs to cool to minus 70 degrees Celsius. This has led states to clean cold stores and buy dry ice wherever they can to prepare for the vaccine’s arrival. In Maine, community college freezers could be put into use as the state begins vaccinating more people, the head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said. Slate.
There is still a long way to go before the first doses start to arrive. First on the priority list, there is a surge in cases and hospitalizations that must be stopped. Second, transparent plans and communications should set the tone for an immunization campaign. Vaccines should be administered fairly and researchers should keep a close eye on the long-term effects of vaccines. But if all of this can be accomplished and this hastily planned vaccination effort can be achieved, it will be a triumph.
Here’s what’s happening this week:
Research
Small data, big implications
How dangerous is it to dine in a restaurant right now? There is still a dearth of data, but fascinating studies are emerging, including a recent one in South Korea, broken down in this article by sociologist Zeynep Tufekci. Tufekci newsletter Insight worth reading – another article from this week highlights efforts by Chinese researchers to sound the early warning alarm on this virus.
(Zeynep Tufekci/Insight)
“ Nobody sees us ”: workers in testing laboratories on demand
In labs across the United States, scientists and lab workers are reaching breaking point as demand for testing continues to rise.
(Katherine J Wu /The New York Times)
Why the CDC changed its Covid-19 quarantine guidelines
The CDC officially changed its quarantine guidelines this week, shortening the time frame in some scenarios. The reason why? He hopes more people will stick to a shorter quarantine schedule. Later in the week, the agency first recommended “ universal use of the face mask ” in a new report.
(German Lopez /Vox)
Development
COVID-19 vaccines are a scientific wonder. Here’s how we can make the most of it
If you want a really Find out how experts think these vaccines should be used, this article is for you. It sets out the challenges and opportunities we all face in this next phase of the pandemic.
(Helen Branswell /Stat)
COVID-19 multidose vaccines will test state tracking systems
States plan to keep tabs on who gets vaccinated and when they get their doses. Here is how it will work.
(Nicole Wetsman /The edge)
The only dissenter on the CDC’s advisory committee on why long-term care residents shouldn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine first
This week, when a CDC advisory committee met to decide who they think should be the first to receive vaccines, there was only one person who objected to the recommendation. Here’s why she cast a dissenting vote.
(Helen Branswell /Stat)
Hackers Target COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain, IBM Says
There is now evidence that phishing attacks target the “cold chain” of vaccines. Experts still do not know what the end goal of the infiltration could be, or who caused it.
(Monica Chin /The edge)
Perspectives
Find your place in the range of vaccines
To put it in perspective, check out this infographic showing an approximation of your situation for a vaccine.
(Stuart Thompson /The New York Times)
COVID doesn’t care how you vote, where you live, or when you die. Fire burns all around us and we are dry grass, sea to shining sea.
—Mark Morocco, a Los Angeles doctor writes in The Los Angeles Times
For two hours that summer night, there was no sound but a soft piano and the soft beep beep from the monitors. Klein considered how he would feel if the person in the bed was his own father, and he squeezed her hand tighter. Around midnight Klein saw the man take one last gasping breath and die.
—Elaine Godfrey writes in her article “Iowa is what happens when the government does nothing” in Atlantic
More than numbers
To the over 65,760,928 people around the world who have tested positive, may your journey to recovery be smooth.
To the families and friends of the 1,515,990 people who have died around the world – including 278,594 in the United States – your loved ones are not forgotten.
Stay safe, everyone.
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