The first Covid-19 vaccine has been authorised by the US FDA-when will I get it?
The first Covid-19 vaccine has been authorised by the US FDA-when will I get it?
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The first COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE was authorised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, making it available to patients aged 16 and older for emergency use.

The vaccine was 95 percent effective at preventing disease in clinical trials and showed no short-term safety issues.

The following is an outline of distribution plans for vaccines.

What Happens Next?

Within days of the authorization, the federal government plans to release the nation’s first 2.9 million doses to 64 states, U.S. territories, and major cities, as well as five federal agencies. Although distribution efforts are being coordinated by the federal government, states have the final decision about who gets the first shots. The first shipments are being sent by the federal government to more than 600 locations.

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Who’s the first in line for a shot?

For the first vaccinations, states prioritise healthcare workers and elderly long-term care residents. The United States has about 21 million healthcare workers and 3 million nursing home residents. Most states anticipate that with the first distribution, they will be able to vaccinate only between 13 percent and 18 percent of their health care workers, a Reuters analysis found. The federal government said it would continue to send out millions of doses each week but precise figures have not been released.

Who is in line next?

States have broad discretion over who will be next to receive the vaccine. A panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has so far only issued the guidelines that should be first for healthcare workers and nursing home residents.

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A possible framework of three distribution phases has been laid out by the CDC, suggesting as the next priority essential workers and people aged 65 and over.

Some states have indicated that they plan to give priority to essential workers after the vaccine is received by healthcare workers and nursing home residents.

At least 20 large industries, including Uber Technologies Inc, DoorDash Inc, and others are lobbying states to get their employees classified as essential, a Reuters analysis found.

Would there be sufficient vaccines to go around?

Pfizer said that this year it would make 50 million doses – enough to inoculate 25 million people – of which about half would go to the United States. Pfizer has an agreement with the U.S. government to supply 100 million doses in total, sufficient to vaccinate 50 million people. The United States has an option to purchase 500 million additional doses.

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Next week a panel of expert advisers to the FDA will review Moderna Inc’s second COVID-19 vaccine. Federal officials have said they will be able to vaccinate 20 million Americans in December, 30 million in January, and 50 million in February if this vaccine is authorised.

In late-stage trials, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca Plc have vaccines, too. If those vaccines are authorised early next year, officials said that by about March or April, there would be enough doses to vaccinate about 75 million Americans a month.

Officials said the United States will have distributed enough vaccines by the middle of next year for most Americans who want the vaccine to be inoculated.

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What happens once I receive the vaccine?

In two shots, three weeks apart the vaccine is administered. In trial volunteers, Pfizer has said side effects were mostly mild to moderate, and cleared up quickly. The most severe side effects, including flu-like symptoms, fatigue, and headache, occurred after the second dose.

While the vaccine has been shown to be highly effective in preventing disease, there is still no data suggesting that it also prevents infection or the ability to spread the virus to others. Mask-wearing and social distancing are likely to remain in place until more people are vaccinated or evidence emerges that virus transmission is also prevented by the vaccine.

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