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Vaccine could be here within days
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could be approved and recommended by Sunday, North Carolina health secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said Thursday.
An U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee met Thursday to review the clinical data from the Pfizer trials. If the FDA approves the vaccine, another advisory committee with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then has to determine which groups of the population it recommends receive the drug. This, Cohen said, could happen Sunday.
The state health department selected 11 facilities with ultra-cold storage capabilities to receive early vaccine shipments within the next few days. None can administer the vaccine until the FDA authorizes its use and the CDC makes its recommendations. Once the CDC issues its recommendations, the state anticipates roughly 40 other hospitals will receive vaccine doses within a few days.
North Carolina on Wednesday reported 6,495 new COVID-19 cases, the state s largest single-day increase since the pandemic began. It is the third day in a week the state has set a new case record.
Hospitalization levels also hit record highs for the seventh consecutive day, with 2,440 people hospitalized with coronavirus on Tuesday. According to state-collected data, North Carolina hospitals currently have nearly 2,000 intensive care unit beds in use and 411 ICU beds empty and staffed.
Out of more than 40,000 COVID-19 tests administered in North Carolina Tuesday, 11.7% were positive, the highest positivity rate since the spring. This current rate is more than double the 5% threshold state officials have said they would prefer to see.