Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proceeded with emergency-use approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 11, there are still many questions regarding its distribution.
After the FDA has approved the vaccines, health experts and the advisory board of the CDC will have to make a rational decision on who will be the first people to receive the vaccine.
During the preliminary stages of distribution, there still needs to be a series of research, trials and experimental work completed before the vaccine can be given to everyone who wants and needs it. There are high hopes that by the middle of next year, the vaccines will be made available to many across the U.S., Business Insider reported.
With positive cases and fear reaching its peak throughout the nation, many people plan on receiving the vaccine once it becomes available to health care providers. Though this may be the case, the reality of the matter is that there may be potential shortages in the supply of the vaccines.
There are still multiple decisions regarding the distribution plan for the vaccines that have to be made, some of which are being left up to individual states to decide. But before the vaccines can be distributed to the general public, the plans that the states come up with have to be approved by the federal government.
As the public continues to wait for the vaccine, the CDC will continue to issue safety guidelines and regulations to slow the spread of the virus.
Scott Gottlieb, who served as the former FDA Commissioner, stated to the Wall Street Journal that those who are above the age of 65 years or older should be some of the first people to receive the vaccine, especially those in low-income communities.
In the case of young children, they will be the last ones to receive the vaccine since their immune systems are not as developed as adults. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who serves as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases notes that when it comes to children and young teenagers, it’ll take a while before the vaccine is made available to them, according to The Washington Post.
There are many doctors, nurses and other health officials who have expressed great concern in regard to how ready and accepting the country will be when it comes to getting vaccinated. There is also mass confusion that is caused by the lack and inconsistent amount of information that is being provided on the vaccine updates from the federal government. Because of this,many Americans are questioning the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. Other Americans just simply do not have trust and faith in the current federal government.
“We’re in a very deep-red state,” Ann Lewis said, who serves as the CEO of CareSouth Carolina, a group of community health centers that helps low-income people in five counties in South Carolina. “The message that is coming out is not a message of trust and confidence in medical or scientific evidence,” USA Today reported.
