More COVID-19 vaccines in pipeline as US ramps up effort
A US study of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate got underway as states continue to roll out scarce supplies of the first shots. The candidate made by Novavax Inc. is the fifth one to reach final-stage testing in the US. Some 30,000 volunteers are needed to prove if the shot, a different kind than Pfizer and Moderna, really works and is safe.
More than two companies needed to vaccinate 85% of population
"If you want to have enough vaccine to vaccinate all US people and you'd like to vaccinate up to 85 percent or more of the population, you're going to need more than two companies," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US infectious disease expert said.
Winter scare as people ignore travel warnings
The US could be facing a terrible winter as, despite warnings to stay home during Christmas, nearly 1.3 million people went through the airports on Sunday, the highest one-day total since the crisis took hold nine months ago. Meanwhile, Operation Warp Speed expects to ship 20 million doses of the vaccines to states by the beginning of January, fewer than originally estimated.
Reports from vaccine providers take days to get added
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reports of over 1.9 million vaccinations, out of more than 9.5 million doses shipped but the agency knows that count is outdated. Reports from vaccine providers take days to get added on site. "Just because a vaccine arrives doesn't mean we can put an on-the-spot clinic up and running," said Jenny Barta, a public health official.
Nation has recorded over 3,000 deaths daily over past week
Worryingly, the US has recorded more than 3,000 deaths per day over the past few weeks with around 3,30,000 overall deaths. This has been the deadliest month in the US yet, with about 65,000 deaths in December so far, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Barta's agency to vaccinate 100 people in drive-through clinic
On Tuesday, Barta's agency aims to vaccinate 100 people in a drive-through clinic for emergency medical workers that Barta hopes could become a model for larger attempts at mass vaccination. Nurses will wheel vaccine to cars lined up in a county-owned snowplow garage. Once the drivers get their shots, they will wait in parking spaces to be sure they don't have an allergic reaction.
Will shots block a new COVID-19 variant emerging in Britain?
Dr. Fauci said that there is no evidence that the new strain could outsmart the vaccine and that National Institutes of Health researchers will be looking at it very intensively to be sure.
