Contrary to the timeline revealed by the CDC to the public on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump tells in a press briefing that the country could distribute vaccines as early as October. He further claims that all the supplies necessary for distributing the vaccine to health officials are already in place. He says Dr. Robert Redfield, the current CDC director, was mistaken in his report, calling his statement incorrect information.
The CDC then clarified that Redfield pertains to the time frame that the American public are expected to complete immunization, and reiterates the continuous need for facemasks, which is currently the only defense the public has against the virus.
Despite the hype that the administration and the health officials are giving to the progress of the vaccine, results of a new poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals that only about half of the American population are eager to get vaccinated.
Around four out of every ten people who do not want to get the vaccine said they fear of contracting the virus from the shot. Another three in ten expressed their concerns over the safety of the vaccine, especially since the typical period for vaccine development is two to six years. All the COVID-19 researches on the disease’s treatments are less than a year old.
The director for the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, insists that safety remains to be the utmost priority for the studies undergoing clinical trials, as releasing a treatment that would cause severe side effects would be detrimental for the whole global economy.
The U.S. federal government has given the outline for a sweeping vaccine distribution plan. They promise that as early as the later part of this year or January of next year, a vaccination campaign will have already started. The Pentagon will be involved, but it is up to the civilian health workers to deliver the shots as the former will only participate in the distribution.
The campaign will comprise two vaccine doses, spaced for 21 to 28 days, to be sourced from the same drug maker. The vaccine will be administered for free. Still, upon its approval, priority will be given to front liners, the elderly, and those with chronic diseases, which are of the highest risk of contracting the disease.
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