8 Facts About COVID-19 Vaccine Planning As Listed Down by US CDC

At long last, it appears that vaccination is no longer a dreamer’s reality…

But an actual thing that’s happening.

Following months of hard work and research, scientists have announced the emergence of vaccines for the COVID-19 – a notion which, though admittedly overdue for some time, still stirs hope in our hearts.

Maybe, just maybe, the world will soon go back to how it was, and we can all move freely again.

That would be the ideal way to end off an otherwise dreadful year, if I may say so.

And so, the golden question begets;

How soon can the world get vaccinated, so that the COVID-19 would represent as little risk as the common flu?

Well, to find out, we would first have to look through the COVID-19 vaccine plan – as listed by the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And I gotta say; if the US’ vaccination plan is to serve as a benchmark for the entire world…

They certainly seem to have pulled out all the stops to make it a high-level one. Thankfully so.

8 Facts About COVID-19 Vaccine Planning As Listed Down by US’ CDC

1. Safety Is The Top Priority

Notwithstanding the urgency of the situation, US’ CDC has made it a point to value the safety of all vaccines over anything else.

After all, remember: eventually, billions of people would be getting the vaccine. If it’s not safe, it could mean the end of the world.

Well, close enough.

To ensure the notion, they employed several measures, including clinical trials and safety monitoring systems.

Clinical trials are held to ascertain a vaccine’s compliance with the FDA’s safety and effectiveness standards.

Vaccine safety monitoring systems are used to verify whether a vaccine has adverse effects.

Expanded safety monitoring systems serve to add an extra layer of protection, while existing safety monitoring systems help federal partners to host real-time safety monitoring.

2. Flexibility

CDC has stated that at the current moment, numerous vaccines are being developed and trialled.

This also means that some vaccines may be ready on an earlier date than others.

As such, CDC is working with organizations to institute flexible COVID-19 vaccination programs – ones that are capable of supporting varying vaccines and situations.

In a situation as messy as this one, convenience and flexibility would certainly go a long way.

3. Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA)

In the initial stages, COVID-19 vaccines may be utilised under an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA).

In FDA’s own words, an EUA is a “mechanism to facilitate the availability and use of medical countermeasures, including vaccines, during public health emergencies, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.”

Just recently, it was reported that the FDA has authorised Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

4. Limited Supply At The Start

As a result of various factors, supply of COVID-19 vaccines is expected to be limited in December 2020.

This means that only certain personnel will be vaccinated by the end of this month.

However, CDC has assured that supply will increase in the following weeks and months.

Apparently, their plan is to assemble thousands of vaccination providers, including medical centers and hospitals.

They have also begun investing in certain vaccine manufacturers to hasten the process.

5. Specific Groups First

Due to the limited supply, vaccines will be distributed in a “fair, ethical, and transparent” manner.

As recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP), healthcare personnel and long-term residents of care facilities will be vaccinated first.

6. Not Recommended For Children… At The Start

Rather than it being a blatant act of biasedness against children, the reason’s actually rather sensible:

Only non-pregnant adults took part in early clinical trials.

As such, it’s unclear whether it would be safe for children at the current moment.

However, CDC has stated that trials are continuously expanding to include more demographics.

This means that recommended groups (to receive the vaccination) could differ in the near and far future.

But hey: we all know how fast children recover from COVID-19, so treat it like chickenpox lah.

7. Cost Will Not Be An Issue

According to several reports, vaccinations could cost a bomb, with single dosages predicted to entail some $2,000.

This, as one may surmise, might prove to be a roadblock for certain demographics in the nation.

Thankfully, however, CDC has announced that vaccine doses – which are bought with U.S. taxpayer money – will be provided to residents of the country at no cost.

Vaccine providers will be able to receive an administrative fee for applying the shot, but the fee can be claimed from the patient’s insurance company or, in the case of uninsured parents, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.

The American people, meanwhile, will not need to pay any extra charges.

But of course, this is still a plan; it’s unknown if, in the future, people would need to pay for them.

8. Not Fixated

And it appears that the vaccine planning process is an ongoing one, as CDC has promised to update its website when plans develop further.

Meanwhile, Singapore may get its hands on vaccines as early as early-2021 without having to fight for the popular ones like Pfizer’s vaccine.

Remember the vaccine that Singapore was working on together with an American pharmaceutical company?

Well, preliminary results from the early clinical trials in Singapore are positive.

So positive that the Economic Development Board (EDB) is pumping in over S$60 million to manufacture the vaccine.

As previously stated, Singapore has “first claim” to the vaccine and is allowed to purchase up to S$75 million worth of vaccines from the company.

Provided everything goes smoothly, shipments of the vaccine could arrive in Singapore by the first three months of 2021.

It was also previously outlined that should a vaccine be available, the vulnerable (read: the elderly) would get it first, followed by the healthcare staff who takes care of Covid-19 patients.

It would then be gradually rolled out to the rest of the population.

Hard to believe that just a few months ago, we were worried that a vaccine would never come, eh?

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