The first batch of U.S. coronavirus vaccine will not reach those fighting the pandemic on the front lines.
Local health departments in all states are preparing to receive the first shipments of the vaccine developed by Pfizer, Reuters reports.
Although the FDA has yet to approve the drug, it is expected to distribute 3.2 million doses of the vaccine nationwide by mid-December. This is not enough to provide 21 million American healthcare workers. True, the US authorities did not consider such a scenario.
First of all, the officials decided to provide themselves with the vaccine. Thus, employees of five ministries, including the Pentagon, have priority in obtaining vaccines.
“Now and for the foreseeable future, the demand for vaccines will significantly exceed supply even for the highest priority populations that have been identified”, – said Josh Michaud, Kaiser’s deputy director for global health policy.
In Russia, preparations are also underway for mass vaccination. The domestic drug “Sputnik V” became the first of its kind and has already proven its effectiveness in the course of tests. Russian leader Vladimir Putin said earlier that the vaccine would arrive next week. He stressed that vaccination will begin with “the first two risk groups – doctors and teachers”.