A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel is to vote today on how COVID-19 vaccines are to be distributed, CNBC reports.
In November, Pfizer and BioNTech said they were seeking an Emergency Use Authorization for their SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and Moderna announced yesterday it was as well. The Huffington Post reported that Pfizer and BioNTech are to present their data to a Food and Drug Administration panel on December 10 and Moderna on December 17. CNBC notes that the first vaccine doses could be given out shortly after the companies get the regulatory greenlight.
CNBC notes that though there are expected to be millions of doses ready by the end of the year, experts expect it will take months to vaccinate everyone in the US, and that public health officials have suggested healthcare workers and vulnerable individuals like the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions be prioritized.
In November, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices panel said in a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that the allocation of COVID-19 vaccines "should maximize the benefits of vaccination to both individual recipients and the population overall."
ACIP is to send its guidance to the CDC, though CNBC notes it is up to the individual state on whether or not to follow the CDC's approach.