MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL - The first emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna and by Pfizer and the German firm BioNTech appears to be weeks away. Impending early use of these vaccines, however, is unlikely to spare the U.S. a harsh winter in the grips of the pandemic, according to experts. The launch of the vaccination program will not replace efforts already underway to stop the spread of the virus. Health authorities will need to continue testing for COVID-19 and Americans will still need to adhere to a strict regimen of mask-wearing, social distancing, and avoiding crowds and indoor gatherings.
In the U.S., "vaccination of select high-risk individuals may start by the end of the year, but most likely the majority of vaccines will be released during the first quarter of 2021," said Amy Hartman, assistant professor in the Center for Vaccine Research at the University of Pittsburgh.
At the University of Pittsburgh, Hartman said vaccine makers still need to gather results from larger groups of recipients who have been studied for longer periods. "That's important," she said, "because some very rare side effects may not become apparent until either a large number of people receive the candidate vaccine, or until enough time passes."
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11/24/2020