Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Azar, Fauci Confident A COVID Vaccine Will Be Widely Available By Spring
The Hill: HHS Secretary Anticipating 'General Vaccination' Programs By Spring
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said early Tuesday that a COVID-19 vaccine could be widely available to the general public by the spring of 2021. In an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, Azar said that Pfizer, which announced Monday that late-stage clinical trial data showed its vaccine candidate to be 90 percent effective, will be delivering 20 million doses each month starting at the end of November. (Castronuovo, 11/10)
Boston Globe: Dr. Fauci Says COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Widely Available By April
The nation’s top infectious disease expert said Tuesday the Pfizer vaccine, which is reportedly more than 90% effective, could be available to everyone by April 2021. Dr. Anthony Fauci explained in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN that vaccinations have to go through a “tried and true” process of prioritization. (Bowker, 11/10)
The Hill: Fauci Says He Trusts Pfizer, Will Take Vaccine If FDA Approves It
Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that he has confidence in Pfizer's work on a coronavirus vaccine and would not hesitate to take it if it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, hailed as “impressive” Pfizer’s results announced Monday that its vaccine is over 90 percent effective. (Sullivan, 11/10)
NPR: 'The Vaccine Is On Its Way, Folks,' Fauci Says As Brooklyn Names Him A COVID-19 Hero
Dr. Anthony Fauci was recognized as a hero on Tuesday by the New York City borough of Brooklyn, where he was born and raised. As he accepted the honor, Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, shared his optimism that a COVID-19 vaccine is close. "The vaccine is on its way, folks, so hang in there, hang tough. We're going to get over this together," Fauci said via video link, speaking to a crowd gathered outside Brooklyn Borough Hall. (Chappell, 11/10)
In other vaccine news —
CNN: 1 In 5 Children Have Vaccine-Wary Parents, May Affect Future Immunization Campaigns
One in five children in the United States had a "vaccine hesitant" parent last year, according to new research from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parental concerns over vaccine safety have contributed to several major outbreaks of preventable diseases in the US and other countries in recent years. The 2019 measles outbreak in the US -- the largest number of cases in 27 years -- was largely driven by parents in New York and Washington state who failed to follow childhood vaccine guidelines. (LaMotte, 11/10)
The New York Times: The Husband-And-Wife Team Behind The Leading Vaccine To Solve Covid-19
Two years ago, Dr. Ugur Sahin took the stage at a conference in Berlin and made a bold prediction. Speaking to a roomful of infectious disease experts, he said his company might be able to use its so-called messenger RNA technology to rapidly develop a vaccine in the event of a global pandemic. At the time, Dr. Sahin and his company, BioNTech, were little known outside the small world of European biotechnology start-ups. BioNTech, which Dr. Sahin founded with his wife, Dr. Özlem Türeci, was mostly focused on cancer treatments. It had never brought a product to market. Covid-19 did not yet exist. But his words proved prophetic. (Gelles, 11/10)
Boston Globe: Inside The Quest For A COVID-19 Vaccine
Pfizer, a 171-year-old Fortune 500 powerhouse, has made a billion-dollar bet on that dream. So has a brash, young rival just 23 miles away in Cambridge. Moderna, a 10-year-old biotech company with billions in market valuation but no approved products, is racing forward with a vaccine of its own. Its new sprawling drug-making facility in Norwood is hiring workers at a fast clip in the hopes of making history — and a lot of money. (Saltzman and Garde, 11/10)
Stat and Boston Globe: The Story Of MRNA: From A Loose Idea To A Tool That May Help Curb Covid
The liquid that many hope could help end the Covid-19 pandemic is stored in a nondescript metal tank in a manufacturing complex owned by Pfizer, one of the world’s biggest drug companies. There is nothing remarkable about the container, which could fit in a walk-in closet, except that its contents could end up in the world’s first authorized Covid-19 vaccine. (Garde and Saltzman, 11/10)
