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US rolls out second COVID-19 vaccine as toll rises
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The Moderna coronavirus vaccine on Friday became the second to receive emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration, welcome news to a nation with a staggering COVID-19 death toll of over 307,000.
Millions of doses of the Moderna vaccine are expected to be added to the US rollout, which began this week with health care workers.
Older people in long-term care facilities are next in line for vaccines, with a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert panel yesterday set to recommend what groups follow, as industries compete to have their workers given precedence.
The FDA announced the authorization the day after the agency鈥檚 panel of outside experts endorsed its use and a week after the FDA authorized a vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech.
The vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, based on similar messenger RNA technology, has been put into the arms of thousands of US health care workers in a massive nationwide rollout. Moderna injections are expected to begin in coming days for people 18 and older.
鈥淲ith the availability of two vaccines, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day,鈥 FDA Commissioner Dr Stephen M. Hahn said in a statement.
Moderna鈥檚 shot is expected to be used in harder-to-reach locations, such as rural hospitals. The vaccine needs to be stored and shipped frozen, but does not require the ultra-cold temperatures of the Pfizer/BioNTech shot.
It is administered in two shots 28 days apart.
鈥淚t is my hope that all Americans will protect themselves by getting vaccinated when the vaccine becomes available to them. That is how our country will begin to heal and move forward,鈥 top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said in a statement.
Moderna said it intended to apply for full US license in 2021.
The FDA decision marks the first regulatory authorization in the world for Moderna鈥檚 vaccine and validation of its technology, shown to be nearly 95 percent effective with no serious safety concerns.
The vaccine, developed in partnership with the US National Institutes of Health, had relatively minor side effects including pain around the injection site and swelling.
The bio-tech company has worked with the US government to prepare for the distribution of 5.9 million shots starting as early as this weekend.
鈥淏righter days lie ahead,鈥 responded US President-elect Joe Biden, who plans to be vaccinated today.
US President Donald Trump hailed the authorizationon Twitter: 鈥淐ongratulations, the Moderna vaccine is now available!鈥
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