CDC Announces Plans for Coronavirus Vaccine Later This Year
The vaccine should be made available to healthcare workers and the elderly starting in November.
- By Nikki Johnson-Bolden
- Sep 18, 2020
The CDC released a plan on September 16 to make coronavirus vaccines available for free for all Americans, according to CNBC.
Funding approved by Congress is what will allow the vaccine to be free. WHO reports that there are currently 170 candidates for a potential vaccine being tracked by the organization. The vaccine will be distributed by the CDC through a needs-based system starting in either November or December, with healthcare workers and the elderly given priority.
The CDC director estimates that there will be enough doses of the vaccine “for Americans to return to regular life by the third quarter of 2021,” or autumn of 2021. The Atlantic Journal-Constitution says people will likely need two doses 21 to 28 days apart for the vaccine to be effective.
The prolonged length of time between now and the proposed reentry into normal life is due to the vaccine testing process that includes a preclinical stage where the vaccine is tested on animals and three phases of testing on humans. In the first phase, a small group of people is given the vaccine, followed by hundreds of people for the second phase and thousands for the third phase.
For more information on coronavirus safety and vaccinations, go to cdc.gov.
About the Author
Nikki Johnson-Bolden is an Associate Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety.