/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5fc6d6231c4b10803d92987f/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=7360&cropY1=771&cropY2=4912&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "CDC Panel: Health Workers And Nursing Homes Should Get First Covid Vaccine Doses")
Topline
When a coronavirus vaccine first becomes available in the United States, states should put medical workers and the residents and staff of long-term care facilities at the front of the line for doses, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel recommended Tuesday, though federal regulators still haven’t approved a vaccine candidate.
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Key Facts
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of doctors and public health experts, voted 13-1 to prioritize healthcare workers and long-term care facilities like nursing homes and assisted living centers in the initial phase of vaccination.
These two groups account for about 23 million Americans, including 21 million health workers and 2.1 million residents of long-term care centers, according to documents from the advisory committee.
Long-term care centers should get priority alongside healthcare staff, the group said, because 39% of all U.S. coronavirus deaths have been associated with these facilities.
Other key groups like non-medical essential workers, seniors and people with high-risk medical conditions could get the vaccine in future phases.
What To Watch For
The roadmap for distributing a Covid-19 vaccine is still unclear. CDC Director Robert Redfield will review the advisory committee’s recommendations before they’re made final, and states will have the last word on how to divy up their first doses. Plus, the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t signed off on any vaccine candidates yet, though drugmakers Moderna and Pfizer applied for emergency use authorization last month.
Crucial Quote
“Most states will likely follow those recommendations. Other states may decide that they may want to tailor it specifically to certain populations,” Dr. Peter Hotez from the Baylor College of Medicine told MSNBC.
Key Background
Federal officials hope to deliver about 40 million doses of Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines by the end of the year. But even if they meet this ambitious goal, those doses can only immunize 20 million people since each patient needs two shots. As a result, public health officials are devising a distribution plan while doses remain in short supply.
Tangent
An official from Operation Warp Speed, the federal Covid-19 vaccine program, predicted Monday that every American who wants a vaccine will be able to get one by June.
Further Reading
CDC’s team of advisers set to decide who gets coronavirus vaccine first (CNN)
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