Health workers and people in nursing homes they should be the first to receive a covid-19 vaccine, the advisory group of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC in English) recommended this Tuesday.
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It will happen when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives the green light to a vaccine, This could be decided as soon as this month after the companies Pfizer and Moderna recently requested an emergency authorization for their antidotes.
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On December 10, the FDA meets to decide whether to authorize the sale of Pfizer’s vaccines and, on December 17, it will do the same with Moderna’s request.
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In a 13-1 vote, the CDC’s advisory committee on immunization practices made their recommendation that the nearly 21 million healthcare workers and the nearly 3 million people who live in nursing homes or extended care facilities be vaccinated. in the first phase of administration of the future vaccine.
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What step is coming now
These recommendations for the highest priority groups, known as Phase 1a, will now be sent to CDC Director Robert Redfield. In case they are approved will become official CDC recommendations on immunization across the United States, and while they are not required, local officials are expected to take them into consideration, according to The Washington Post.
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They estimate that during the first months there will be between 5 and 10 million vaccines each week, waiting for manufacturers to speed up their production.
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In the past few months, health experts have worked on recommendations for distributing limited vaccines ethically. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) formed, for example, a committee that will produce a study to help make this task equitable.
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To do this, he says, it will take into account factors such as population health disparities, individuals at higher risk due to their health status, occupation or living conditions, and geographic distribution of the active spread of the virus. In addition, the committee will consider how access to vaccines can be ensured for communities of color and minorities.
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