Azar optimistic the US will have enough COVID-19 vaccines by March

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• CNBC reports that Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is optimistic that by March to April 2021, Covid-19 vaccine doses in the U.S. will be out and available for all citizens. 
• Trump’s coronavirus vaccine initiative, Operation Warp Speed, plans to release 100 million doses by the end of the year for populations that are at high risk. 
• Presently, the U.S., along with other pharmaceutical companies are making doses for all six vaccine candidates supported by Operation Warp Speed.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar estimated Thursday that Covid-19 vaccine doses will be available for every American as early as March, CNBC reports. 

“We project having enough for every American who wants a vaccine by March to April 2021,” Azar said during a keynote speech at the Goldman Sachs Healthcare virtual event on the coronavirus crisis. 

Azar added that Operation Warp Speed, a coronavirus vaccine program of the Trump administration, is aiming to produce about 100 million doses by the end of the year, which he said is sufficient enough to cover especially “vulnerable populations.” 

Currently, the U.S. is generating doses for all six potential vaccine candidates backed by Operation Warp Speed. This also includes vaccines being developed by Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson, which are all now in its late-stage testing. 

Azar said that the U.S. is also in the process of procuring needles, syringes, bottles, and other supplies needed for immunizations. 

President Trump has persistently said that a vaccine could be approved as early as October. However, health experts, including Robert Redfield, the director for Disease Control and Prevention, maintained that a vaccine won’t likely be ready for use before the Nov. 3 presidential elections. 

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration posted on its website updated safety standards for COVID-19 vaccine makers requiring them to follow clinical trial volunteers for at least two months to rule out adverse reactions. With the standards, the introduction of a vaccine before Election Day would be most unlikely.

Source: The Hill