WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proposed that healthcare workers and long-term facility residents be given the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine when it is cleared for public use in the U.S.
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met virtually on Tuesday and panel passed the proposal 13-1. The panel consists of outside experts who make recommendations to the CDC.
This means about 21 million healthcare workers and 3 million long-term facility residents will be given priority when the vaccine becomes available in the U.S. for limited supply.
The first phase of the vaccine rollout, known as Phase 1a, will commence after the vaccine receives authorization from the FDA.
The FDA is currently reviewing data on two COVID-19 vaccines, one made by Pfizer and the other made by Moderna. The FDA's advisory committee will meet on December 10 to consider Pfizer's request for emergency use authorization of its vaccine.
Both the vaccines require two doses a month apart and will be rationed in the early stages. Current estimates project that no more than 20 million doses of each vaccine will be available by the end of this year, which will be enough to inoculate about 20 million people.
Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech SE's mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday received a temporary authorization for emergency use in the U.K., marking the first authorization in the world for a Covid vaccine.
Health officials have voiced concerns that the U.S. awaits a severe catastrophic pandemic situation during the upcoming Christmas-New Year holiday season as millions traveled and gathered for Thanksgiving.
The total number of COVID-19 casualties in the U.S. increased to 270642 after 2555 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering on Tuesday.
This is the highest daily figure recorded in the U.S. since Johns Hopkins started tracking the pandemic data.
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