Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
20M Americans Could Get Vaccine Next Month, Warp Speed Chief Says
Politico: 20 Million Americans Could Receive Covid-19 Vaccine In December
Roughly 20 million people could be vaccinated against the coronavirus in December, the head of the Trump administration's vaccine and drug accelerator said Friday. Americans can expect that about 25 to 30 million people could be vaccinated each month afterward, said Moncef Slaoui, co-lead of Operation Warp Speed, during a Rose Garden event with President Donald Trump and other top health officials. (Owermohle, 11/13)
Also —
Politico: Coronavirus Vaccine Scientist: ‘We Could Have A Normal Winter Next Year’
One of the scientists behind the coronavirus vaccine that has been found to be 90 percent effective said that "if everything continues to go well ... we could have a normal winter next year." BioNTech co-founder Uğur Şahin told the BBC on Sunday that "this winter will be hard" and the vaccine "will not have a big impact on the infection numbers." But he said that "if everything continues to go well," the goal is to deliver more than 300 million doses of the vaccine before "April next year, which could allow us to already start to make an impact." (Dallison, 11/15)
AP: BioNTech Scientist: Vaccine Could Halve Virus Transmission
One of the scientists behind the experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer said Sunday that he was confident that it could halve the transmission of the virus, resulting in a “dramatic” curb of the virus’ spread. Professor Ugur Sahin, chief executive of Germany’s BioNTech, said it was “absolutely essential” to have a high vaccination rate before next autumn to ensure a return to normal life next winter. (11/15)
In other vaccine news —
Reuters: J&J Starts Two-Dose Trial Of Its COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate
Johnson & Johnson launched a new large-scale late-stage trial on Monday to test a two-dose regimen of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine and evaluate potential incremental benefits for the duration of protection with a second dose. The U.S. drugmaker plans to enroll up to 30,000 participants for the study and run it in parallel with a one-dose trial with as many as 60,000 volunteers that began in September. (Kelland, 11/15)
Bloomberg: Crucial Vaccine And Treatment Data Only Days Away
Pharmaceutical companies are starting to unveil medical advances in the battle against the coronavirus, in what one CEO described as “an incredible feat of science over a disease.” Over the next few weeks, we're likely to learn a lot more about how well these vaccines and treatments work. In a one-two-pandemic-punch on Nov. 9, Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE reported that their vaccine was highly effective in preventing symptomatic cases of Covid-19, while Eli Lilly & Co.’s treatment for those at early stages was granted a green light from U.S. regulators. (Griffin, 11/14)
The Hill: Cuomo Threatens To Sue Trump Administration Over Vaccine Distribution Plan
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Sunday threatened to sue the Trump administration if its vaccine distribution plan unduly limited Black and brown peoples' access to COVID-19 vaccinations. Cuomo had previously criticized the vaccine distribution plan laid out by the Trump administration for relying too much on hospitals, drug stores and clinics to deliver the vaccine. Cuomo has noted that communities of color often have limited access to public or private healthcare, the Syracuse Post-Standard reports. (Choi, 11/15)
Boston Globe: Efforts Intensify To Determine Those First In Line To Receive A COVID-19 Vaccine — And Build Trust In Skeptical Communities
With a potential COVID-19 vaccine suddenly closer on the horizon, planning is intensifying over which Massachusetts residents will be first in line to receive the shots and how to persuade communities that are deeply mistrustful of vaccines and the health care system to step forward. (Lazar, 11/15)
The Hill: Fauci: Don't Abandon Masks, Social Distancing After Getting Vaccine
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, on Sunday recommended continued protections such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing after a coronavirus vaccine becomes available. CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Fauci on "State of the Union" if "once the process is complete, does that mean [people] can take off their masks, they don't have to social distance, they can just go about their lives as before?" "I would recommend that that is not the case. I would recommend you have an added area of protection," Fauci replied. (Budryk, 11/15)
