AP: Health officials warn Americans not to let their guard down
“With a COVID-19 vaccine perhaps just days away in the U.S., most of California headed into another lockdown Sunday because of the surging outbreak and top health officials warned Americans that this is no time to let their guard down. … A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is scheduled to take up a request Thursday to authorize emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine. Vaccinations could begin just days later, though initial supplies will be rationed, and shots are not expected to become widely available until the spring…” (Groves et al., 12/6).

STAT: On the ground, the pledge to vaccinate 20 million against Covid-19 in December seems unrealistic
“Hospitals across the United States are preparing for a Covid-19 vaccine distribution timeline that’s well behind official government targets as they face ongoing confusion about the process for inoculating frontline employees. Leaders of Operation Warp Speed have repeatedly said they are on track to vaccinate 20 million people in December, enough for nearly all the health care workers and long-term care residents who are first in line to get a vaccine. But those involved in vaccine planning at four health care systems, in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kansas, told STAT they expect to still be giving staff their first shots in mid-January…” (Goldhill, 12/7).

Additional coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and efforts to approve and distribute a vaccine is available from CNBC, CNN, The Guardian, Reuters, STAT, and Washington Post (2).