CDC to states: Prepare for COVID-19 vaccine distribution [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Dr. Robert Redfield of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a letter on August 27 that governors should prepare and assist the agency in distributing a “massive” COVID-19 vaccine by November 1.
• Based on the vaccine plan obtained by The New York Times, the scheme is still “evolving and uncertain” and it gave different scenarios in terms of distribution measures.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, was expecting that a vaccine would be developed by the end of this year but noted that it should exhibit “safe and effective ” results during the clinical trials.

Based on a letter secured by NBC News on Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield told governors on August 27 to be ready for the “large-scale” distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine by November 1.

Redfield wrote in a letter that CDC has partnered with McKesson, a pharmaceutical company, to dispense hundreds of million doses of vaccine to local health departments and healthcare facilities nationwide by November.

Redfield asks the governors to assist them in expediting the distribution facilities’ applications to be used by McKesson, saying it would require a “massive” effort.

If possible, the director was suggesting “to consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from being fully operational by November 1, 2020.”

The New York Times obtained a vaccine blueprint, describing the plan as still “evolving and uncertain.” It also provided different scenarios in relation to the availability of supplies together with operational capacity. For instance, one scenario suggested two million doses administered by the end of October, then between 10 to 20 million vaccines to be cascaded the following month.

Commissioner Stephen Hahn of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told the Financial Times that they could expedite a vaccine if the drug makers would be given federal approval even before Phase 3 clinical trials are done.

“We may find that appropriate. We may find that inappropriate. We will make a determination,” Hahn said.

It was not established though how a drug maker could secure such approval.

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said on Monday that it already started Phase 3 trials this week. The other two vaccine developers, the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., and Pfzer Inc. and BioNTech, also underwent trials in early summer.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US’ top infectious disease expert, told TODAY on Wednesday that he was expecting a coronavirus vaccine by end of 2020, and cautioned that it should prove “to be clearly safe and effective” during the clinical trials.

Fauci also said that he had seen many trials that employed the FDA’s “emergency-use authorization,” arguing that “they’ve been done when there was enough data that you would really feel comfortable that it was safe.” 

Source: AOL.com