Different Takes: Put High-Risk Groups At Front Of Vaccine Lines; Ease Fears About Natural Side Effects Of Vaccine

USA Today: COVID Vaccine Allocation: Prioritize High-Risk People, Not Just Speed
Government agencies worldwide are starting to authorize new vaccines against the novel coronavirus. Now the hard work of distributing this scarce resource begins.In the United States, several groups of experts have recommended that Americans at highest risk get vaccinated first. But late last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that vaccine shipments would be divided among states based simply on the size of their adult populations. In short, the more adults, the more vaccine. (Eric Schneider, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Two Scenarios Could Derail Trust In The Vaccines. Here’s How We Must Prepare For Them. 
On Thursday, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration is likely to recommend emergency use authorization for the first covid-19 vaccine. A second vaccine could be authorized next week, and millions of Americans could be vaccinated by the end of December. This triumph of science can’t come soon enough. But there are two scenarios that could substantially derail vaccine efforts — unless we prepare for them now. (Leana S. Wen, 12/8)

Bloomberg: FDA’s Slowness On A Pfizer Covid Vaccine Isn’t The Issue 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s meeting to evaluate whether the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should be authorized for emergency use is scheduled for Thursday, but it’s already controversial. The meeting comes three weeks after Pfizer submitted its data, and some critics have suggested that this delay has cost lives. A similar issue is likely to arise with other vaccines. How hard is the FDA is working, really? That question is the focus of the debate, which defines the options as either granting an immediate emergency use authorization, known as an EUA, or waiting. (Tyler Cowen, 12/8)

The Wall Street Journal: The Best Herd Immunity Money Can Buy
How much would the government have to pay you to take the Covid-19 vaccine? For most of us, it’s a silly question. Recent polls show that around 60% of Americans plan to get vaccinated as soon as possible and need no monetary incentive to do so. The problem is that a 60% vaccination rate may not do the trick. Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week that to keep the virus from finding new hosts, social distancing should continue until 75% to 80% of the population is vaccinated. (Jason L. Riley, 12/8)

Stat: Make Covid-19 Vaccination An Option For Pregnant, Lactating Health Workers
On Thursday, the FDA will review the near-term fate of the Pfizer/BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine. It is likely that the FDA will grant emergency use authorization for the vaccine, just as its British regulatory counterpart, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), did last week. The FDA should part company with the MHRA, however, when it comes to use of the vaccine by pregnant and lactating people. (Carleigh Krubiner, Ruth R. Faden and Ruth A. Karron, 12/9)

CNN: What Matters: Yes, There's A Vaccine, But Not Enough To Go Around 
In the United Kingdom, people are getting Pfizer's Covid vaccine. The idea that we've officially entered the vaccine stage of this thing in the Western Hemisphere actually made me do a fist pump this morning. This is huge. The process looks very organized in the UK, where they're converting sports stadiums to vaccine delivery locations for the masses. That is in part because in the UK they have the National Health Service, which means structure for everyone, ultimately, to get stuck. (Prime Minister Boris Johnson is waiting for his place in line, he said today.) (Zachary B. Wolf, 12/9)

The New York Times: Stop The Coronavirus Outbreak At Brooklyn’s Federal Jail
Last week, at least 55 inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons data. Many months into this pandemic, the Federal Defenders of New York, a legal advocacy group, said officials at the jail aren’t following basic public health guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus, to care for sick inmates or to protect those who are most vulnerable. After case counts at the jail held steady for months this fall, they are now rising. (12/8)