Tag Archives: COVID Vaccine

The Washington Post reports: The global police cooperation agency Interpol said Wednesday that the distribution of coronavirus vaccines could be exploited by criminals, with “falsification, theft and illegal advertising of COVID-19 and flu vaccines” posing growing risks. “As governments are preparing to roll out vaccines, criminal organisations are planning to infiltrate or disrupt supply chains,” said the agency’s secretary general, …

The BBC reports: The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination. Britain’s medicines regulator, the MHRA, says the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe to be rolled out. The first 800,000 doses will be available in the UK from next …

NBC News reports: Health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities will be the first groups to be offered the Covid-19 vaccine, according to a new proposal from an independent advisory committee within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met virtually on Tuesday to discuss who would receive the first doses of …

Axios reports: White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has summoned FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn to the West Wing for a 9:30am meeting Tuesday to explain why he hasn’t moved faster to approve the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, two senior administration officials told Axios. The meeting is shaping up to be tense, with Hahn using what the White House will likely …

Reuters reports: People who refuse a vaccine for COVID-19 could find normal life curtailed as restaurants, bars, cinemas and sports venues could block entry to those who don’t have proof they are inoculated, Britain’s new vaccine minister said on Monday. Asked by the BBC if there would be an immunity passport, Nadhim Zahawi said a person’s COVID-19 vaccine status might …

Mediaite reports: On MSNBC Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski — the Operation Warp Speed director of supply, production, and distribution — gave an encouraging timeline about when all Americans will be able to get vaccinated. Towards the end of the interview about the vaccine development and distribution, anchor Yasmin Vossoughian asked, “What is your expectations come June for how many …

The Washington Post reports: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisers will meet tomorrow to discuss who should get coronavirus vaccines first. One population they may consider prioritizing: Americans who are obese — a major risk factor for severe covid-19 that some experts say has gone under-recognized. “Obesity was ignored for the longest time and overweight was completely ignored,” said …

Forbes reports: Moderna will submit its Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use approval in the U.S. Monday after new trial data showed it to be 94% effective at preventing the disease, findings that are consistent with earlier data from the Phase 3 clinical trial. New findings from the Phase 3 clinical trial, which involved over 30,000 participants, showed the vaccine to …

The Associated Press reports: The British government appointed a vaccines minister on Saturday as it prepares to inoculate millions of people against the coronavirus, potentially starting within days. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Conservative lawmaker Nadhim Zahawi will oversee the country’s biggest vaccine program in decades. The U.K. medicines regulator is currently assessing two vaccines — one developed by Pfizer …

CNN reports: Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will vote Tuesday on the very first people to get a coronavirus vaccine once one gets emergency authorization. The CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices has scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday to discuss allocation of Covid-19 vaccines. Members of the committee will discuss who should be in the …

The Hill reports: United Airlines on Friday commenced charter flights to send doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine candidates to prepare for distribution, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal that cited people familiar with the matter. In a statement to The Hill, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was “supporting the first mass air shipment of …

The Guardian reports: Hospitals have been told to prepare for the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine in as little as 10 days’ time, with NHS workers expected to be at the front of the queue, the Guardian has learned. NHS bosses said hospitals in England could expect to receive their first deliveries of a vaccine produced by Pfizer/BioNTech as soon …

Politico reports: Many disputes over prioritization will play out in the fine print of government plans. Is a hospital janitor more at risk than a suburban pediatrician? Is a truck driver’s super-spreading danger a greater priority than the risk faced by a 50-year old with diabetes? While federal and state officials agree that the nation’s 21 million health care workers …

The Associated Press reports: The British government said Friday it has formally asked the country’s medicines regulator to assess whether a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University should be authorized for use. The step comes amid questions about preliminary results from trials of the jab, after the company and the university acknowledged that the most encouraging part of …

Reuters reports: Berlin is racing to open six mass vaccination centres capable of handling up to 4,000 people per day by mid-December, the project coordinator told Reuters on Thursday, as the city waits for authorities to approve the first vaccines. An empty trade fair hall, two airport terminals, a concert arena, a velodrome and an ice rink will be turned …

The Hill reports: The United Parcel Service (UPS) has established its own dry ice production in its U.S. facilities and will distribute ultra-cold temperature freezers to help in the distribution efforts for COVID-19 vaccines over the coming months. In preparation for the distribution, UPS on Tuesday said it can produce as much as 1,200 pounds of dry ice an hour …

The New York Times reports: Around mid-December, 6.4 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine will be shipped out across the United States in an initial push after it receives an expected emergency authorization, officials leading Operation Warp Speed, the administration’s push to fast-track a vaccine, said on a call with reporters on Tuesday. The first doses — which are expected …

The Hill reports: Russia on Tuesday said its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine will cost less than $10 per dose on international markets and is more than 95 percent effective. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund that is bankrolling the country’s vaccine efforts, said vaccination would be free of charge for Russian citizens beginning next year …

CNBC reports: Public health officials and drugmakers must be transparent about the side effects people may experience after getting their first shot of a coronavirus vaccine, doctors urged during a meeting Monday with CDC advisor. Dr. Sandra Fryhofer of the AMA noted that both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines require two doses at varying intervals. She said she worries whether her …

ABC News reports: Gen. Gustave Perna, who is leading Operation Warp Speed’s effort to distribute coronavirus vaccines nationwide, told ABC News he is confident that vaccines will be “on the street” and headed to communities just 24 hours after being authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. While the first two vaccines to be distributed will likely be from Pfizer …