Written by Justin Culetu
Some uplifting news came out a few days ago from Operation Warp Speed’s Chief Science Advisor, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, regarding a possible COVID-19 vaccine distribution timeline. Dr. Slaoui announced that priority groups are expected to receive the vaccination by the middle of December, right after emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is granted.
Moderna Inc., Pfizer Inc.(partnered with BioNTech), and AstraZeneca gave updates on their vaccine development efforts a few weeks ago, each reporting positive results after their preliminary trials. A 94.5% effectiveness rate was announced by Moderna Inc., and 90% by Pfizer. AstraZeneca also reported theirs to be 90% effective on Monday. Both Moderna and Pfizer applied for emergency FDA authorization which is expected to be granted on December 10th.
On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state’s plan for vaccine distribution. Healthcare workers, nursing home residents, and first responders will be the first to receive the treatment. The data given by the pharmaceutical and biotech companies mentioned above have so far shown the vaccines to be safe, after being revised by three different committees. Gov. Newsom also noted that the companies will directly issue the vaccine to medical centers and facilities instead of the state being in charge of the distribution.
Although it may take some time before mass distribution is achieved, this is something that should be celebrated by all Americans. After nearly ten months of shutdowns, stay-at-home orders, and politicization of the virus, a possible treatment could help bring the country back to normality and free millions of Americans from the unfortunate reality we have all been living in.
Photo via Governor Newsom’s Vaccine Press Conference
