The U.S. federal government has taken steps to help guide the distribution of forthcoming coronavirus vaccines as many high level clinical trials conduct late stage testing that may provide results by the end of the year. In a "playbook" sent to all 50 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) outlined a broad plan to eventually vaccinate every citizen who wants a shot free of charge.
Under the plan, vaccines that require two doses will be given to individuals from the same drugmaker (proving the potential for multiple vaccines to be available at once) either 21 to 28 days apart, according to the Associated Press. States and local governments will need to design their own plans fro local distributions, keeping in mind the special requirements of vaccine coming potentially from companies like Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) that need to be kept at low temperatures.
C.D.C. Director Robert Redfield stated during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies hearing on Wednesday that health care workers and those at high risk will have priority access to a vaccine once it is approved for public use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, most likely early January or late this year.
Even though the U.S. plans to begin distribution as soon as a vaccine is approved, the rest of the public may not have access to a vaccine until late spring or summer of 2021.
For a vaccine to be "fully available to the American public, so we begin to take advantage of the vaccine to get back to our regular life," Redfield stated, "I think we are probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter 2021."
In the meantime, Redfield pointed to masks as the solution that will ultimately lead to the containment of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. while the nation waits for a vaccine, calling facial coverings a "powerful health tool."
"We have clear scientific evidence they work and they are our best defense," Redfield told lawmakers. "I might even go so far as to say that this face mack is more guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine."
Redfield stated that even though a vaccine may be proven to be effective against infection, the F.D.A. plans to approve any vaccine that is at least or over 50% effective. That can leave a while swath of the population still unprotected even though they took the necessary step to be immune.
"If i don't get an immune response, the vaccine's not going to protect me. This face make will," Redfield added.