UPDATE 1-U.S. plans to distribute COVID-19 vaccine immediately after regulators authorize it
NEW YORK, Sept 16- The U.S. government on Wednesday said it will start distributing a COVID-19 vaccine within one day of regulatory authorization as it plans for the possibility that a limited number of vaccine doses may be available at the end of the year. Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense on Wednesday held a…
NEW YORK, Sept 16 (Reuters) – The U.S. government on
Wednesday said it will start distributing a COVID-19 vaccine
within one day of regulatory authorization as it plans for the
possibility that a limited number of vaccine doses may be
available at the end of the year.
Officials from the Department of Health and Human Servicesand the Department of Defense on Wednesday held a call withreporters and then released documents on the distribution plansthat it is sending to the states and local public healthofficials.
The federal government will allocate vaccines for each statebased on the critical populations recommended first forvaccination by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control andPrevention. That group is expected to include essentialhealthcare workers.
The document, called the COVID-19 Vaccination ProgramInterim Playbook, said that “limited COVID-19 vaccine doses maybe available by early November 2020 if a COVID-19 vaccine isauthorized or licensed by FDA by that time, but COVID-19 vaccinesupply may increase substantially in 2021.”
Officials also said they were working to make sure there wasno cost to patients for the vaccine.(Reporting by Michael Erman and Caroline Humer in New York andMrinalika Roy in BengaluruEditing by Chizu NomiyamaEditing by Chizu Nomiyama)