The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is sharing plans with health officials in all 50 states to prepare for the COVID-19 vaccine. They predict it could be ready by late October or early November.
This vaccine will likely be distributed among healthcare workers, essential employees, and high-risk groups within the states.
In the last week, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, one of the top infectious disease experts in the country, and Dr. Stephen Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, have shared that a vaccine may be available before clinical trials have concluded. However, this depends if the results from the trials are positive by the time November comes around.
Health experts agree that the government should prepare for this life-changing effort. For a virus taking lives every day within the states, it will be a great endeavor to distribute the vaccine.
The C.D.C will be sharing the characteristics of two potential candidates with state health officials. In addition, they will provide state requirements for shipping, mixing, and storage of the potential vaccines.
According to the New York Times, three documents were distributed with public health officials in all states and territories. They outline the possible scenarios for distributing the vaccine, including a possible two dosage protocol distributed within a few weeks apart.
The C.D.C predicts that there will only be a limited amount of vaccines available by early November.