We remember reading in the Scripture that the Father has his sun rise on the just and the unjust. The light and warmth emanate immediately and without hesitation over the whole of Creation. This is the model that we need to bear in mind as we consider the dissemination of the two COVID-19 vaccines, even as this pestilence gathers momentum, leaves hundreds of thousands of us dead in its wake and brings to ruin the economic security of millions among us.
To date, the dissemination of the vaccine has been halting, sporadic and ham-handed. The federal government has distributed more than 35 million doses and less than half of those have actually been delivered to patients.
Much of the huge price tag for Biden’s pandemic plan would help people who are financially struggling because of COVID-19, offering $1400 checks, rent and food assistance, and expanded health care and unemployment benefits. But Biden also wants Congress to allocate $400 billion of the money to bolster the pandemic response, with $160 billion of that going toward mounting “a national vaccination program,” expanding diagnostic testing for COVID-19, and hiring 100,000 new community health workers nearly tripling the 59,000 now doing the work. They would promote vaccination and trace contacts of newly infected people, but they are also intended to become a permanent fixture in the U.S. public health infrastructure.
Earlier this month, coronavirus vaccines from
Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) and the team of
BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Does this mean that it will be more challenging for companies to enroll participants in clinical trials for vaccines still under development? Dr. Bruce Gellin of the Sabin Vaccine Institute joined Olivia Zitkus and Corinne Cardina of Fool.com s Healthcare and Cannabis Bureau on a Dec. 18 episode of
Fool Live to talk about what s ahead for the next COVID-19 vaccines.
Olivia Zitkus: For those vaccines that are still in those earlier stages of development that might not be getting the attention that Pfizer and Moderna are getting right now, there are still lots of them out there, how easy or difficult do you think it will be to enroll people in those clinical trials now that another vaccine has received emergency use authorization and vaccinations have started?
Dec 30, 2020 at 7:00AM Follow @omzitkus
Will consumers one day have a choice of which coronavirus vaccine they receive? Will the market for vaccines be overly complicated once other players join
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) in earning Emergency Use Authorization or formal approvals? Dr. Bruce Gellin of the Sabin Vaccine Institute joined Olivia Zitkus and Corinne Cardina of Fool.com s Healthcare and Cannabis Bureau on a Dec. 18 episode of
Fool Live to talk about the challenges of vaccination logistics and the importance of information technology.
Olivia Zitkus: Turning from that, the vaccine race, to the vaccination challenge. What other issues do you see? Maybe either than cold chain two-dose schedule? Do you see any potential confusion if two similar vaccines are in the market?