The Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory committee endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Thursday, and it is poised to be authorized for public use on Friday. The first round of shots will be shipped out within 24 hours of getting the emergency use authorization.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield made a grim prediction Thursday during a meeting held by the Council on Foreign Relations, saying that daily deaths due to COVID-19 over the next two or three months will exceed those of the 9/11 terror attacks. He added that vaccine approval will have no effect on the mortality rate over the next few months.
Walmart is prepping 5,000 of its stores to receive and distribute the coronavirus vaccine once it becomes available. The retail giant said it was working to ensure it had enough freezers and dry ice to store the vaccine. Walmart said it would distribute the vaccine through its Walmart and Sam’s Club stores and to long-term care facilities.
In preparation for the massive vaccine rollout, airline workers are campaigning to move up in the priority line, petitioning the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to prioritize “frontline aviation workers in the next phase of vaccine allocation … after health workers and residents in long term facilities.” The letter was signed by Airlines for America, the Association of Flight Attendants, the International Air Transport Association, the Airline Pilots Association, and 13 other groups.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said clinical studies of vaccines that include pregnant women and young children could begin in January, having excluded both groups from recent clinical vaccine trials. It’s not clear whether this means that pregnant women shouldn’t receive the vaccine.
“That will not necessarily be looking at efficacy, but we’ll be looking at safety and immunogenicity to bridge to the efficacy in the adult non-pregnant population,” he said.
To date, more than 15.5 million infections and nearly 292,000 deaths due to COVID-19 have been confirmed in the United States. Current case totals are undercounts given the fact that many infections go undetected and undiagnosed.
Partisan bickering over another economic stimulus package escalated Thursday, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that negotiations over a bill might continue beyond Christmas. Staff in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office told congressional leadership Wednesday night that he doesn’t see a bipartisan deal on the horizon.
“I hope our colleagues let Congress deliver more help soon,” McConnell said Thursday. “A lot of Americans simply cannot afford to wait.”
The CBS Radford production lot in Los Angeles has experienced four separate coronavirus outbreaks, signaling that it has become ground zero for coronavirus cases on productions in the city. Sixteen new cases were confirmed in the first week of December on the production lot where the Lionsgate TV-produced series Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet was set to wrap production this week, Variety reported Thursday.
Ellen DeGeneres has tested positive for COVID-19. The popular talk show host tweeted the news on Thursday, saying, “I’m feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines.”
In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan ordered bars and restaurants to reduce capacity to 50% and close at 10 p.m. He has also limited churches, retail stores, and gyms to 50% capacity. Both Montgomery County and Prince George’s County are proposing banning indoor dining altogether.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam imposed a curfew on Virginia residents, requiring them to stay home between midnight and 5 a.m. He also added to the state’s face-mask requirements, mandating that employees and customers inside retail stores and restaurants wear masks.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said that she hoped to remove coronavirus restrictions in the next week. Those restrictions include wearing masks indoors where social distancing isn’t possible, limiting indoor and outdoor gatherings, and requiring bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m. She said on a radio show that she was “cautiously optimistic” that she could dial them back next week.
The New Mexico Department of Health announced a halt on elective surgeries and the initiation of crisis care standards to avoid hospital overflow. The department said the new orders will take effect Friday and last through Jan. 4.
