Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Major Players In Vaccine Supply Chain Warn Distribution Will Be Difficult
Stat: Many Air Cargo Companies Are Unprepared To Transport Covid-19 Vaccines
As much of the world focuses on vaccine development to alleviate the pandemic, a new survey finds that just 28% of the air cargo companies that will play the highly crucial, behind-the-scenes role of transporting Covid-19 vaccines far and wide feel prepared for the job. At the same time, 19% of these companies report that they feel “very unprepared.” (Silverman, 10/15)
NPR: COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Will Be Challenging. States Rush To Plan Ahead
Even the most effective, safest coronavirus vaccine won't work to curb the spread of the virus unless a large number of people get immunized. And getting a vaccine from the manufacturers all the way into people's arms requires complex logistics — and will take many months. Now, public health officers across the country are rushing to finish up the first draft of plans for how to distribute a coronavirus vaccine if and when it is authorized, and they're grappling with a host of unknowns as they try to design a system for getting the vaccine out to everyone who wants it. (Simmons-Duffin, 10/16)
The Hill: Bipartisan Governors Ask Trump For Help With COVID Vaccine Distribution Plan
The bipartisan leaders of the National Governors Association on Thursday requested a meeting with President Trump to discuss "the roles and expectations of states" for the successful distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. States are pleading with the Trump administration for more guidance on the logistics of a mass vaccination campaign, just one day before the deadline to submit draft distribution plans for a potential coronavirus vaccine. (Weixel, 10/15)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Faces Enormous Challenges To Distribute A COVID-19 Vaccine
While the fast-track development of a COVID-19 vaccine may seem like an enormous task, an even more daunting challenge may be getting approved vaccines into the arms of millions of people in Georgia and around the globe. (Oliviero and Yamanouchi, 10/15)
The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer, BioNTech Race To Meet Global Covid-19 Vaccine Needs
The chief executive of the German company partnering with Pfizer Inc. in its coronavirus vaccine effort said the two are racing to increase production to meet the world’s needs, assuming the shot wins a regulatory green light. The two companies are now scrambling to scale up their manufacturing capacities, said Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech SE. Both companies said they are confident they will be able to deliver all the doses they have already agreed to provide to governments, including the U.S. and the European Union. (Pancevski and Hopkins, 10/15)
In related vaccine news —
NPR: Drug Companies Use Tobacco Plant Protein As Ingredient In COVID-19 Vaccine
Historically, tobacco plants are responsible for their share of illness and death. Now they may help control the COVID-19 pandemic. Two biotech companies are using the tobacco plant, Nicotiana benthamiana, as bio-factories to produce a key protein from the coronavirus that can be used in a vaccine. (Palca, 10/15)
AP: Chinese Company Offers Coronavirus Vaccine To Students
A Chinese drug developer is offering an experimental coronavirus vaccine to students going abroad in a strategy health experts say raises safety and ethical concerns. China National Biotech Group has two vaccine candidates out of five from Chinese developers that are in the final stages of clinical trials. They are part of a global race to develop a vaccine that, if they are successful, offers the fledgling Chinese industry the potential for prestige and worldwide sales. (Wu, 10/15)
