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Summary
- US lawmakers are expected to get inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in next few days
- The Office of the Attending Physician has informed the Members of the House about the eligibility criteria
- Meanwhile, an external panel has advised the US FDA to clear Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency usage
With an expeditious go-ahead from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the emergency usage authorisation (EAU) of the Covid-19 vaccine, the prominent leaders of the US Senate are preparing to get inoculated in the next few days. Last week, the FDA approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for use in the US at a time when the nation was struggling to contain the spread of the virus and minimise the daily cases and invariably spiralling death rate.
(Image source: ©Kalkine Group 2020)
Members to be vaccinated soon
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has said that she is expected to get vaccinated within the next few days following the directions of the attending physician. Pelosi said a second coronavirus vaccine is likely to be authorised “as soon as tomorrow”.
With the review and recommendations by the independent experts on the FDA’s advisory panel, all the Americans have expressed their confidence in the vaccines that are being distributed.
The Office of the Attending Physician has recently informed the Congressional Leadership that the Members of the House and Senate are eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in line with the government continuity guidelines.
America fights back
The United States Senator Mitch McConnell has also released a statement regarding his eligibility for the Covid-19 vaccine after the Office of Attending Physician informed about the same. McConnell has also said that he will be accepting the coronavirus vaccine “in the coming days”.
McConnell has also said that money is needed for the country-wide vaccine distribution and re-upping the Paycheck Protection Program to safeguard the jobs. Pelosi has separately expressed grief after the Covid-19 death toll of the United States crossed 300,000 saying that the Americans killed by the global health emergency were more than the number of people who sacrificed their lives during the combat in World War II.
The nation should embrace Covid-19 testing, treatment, and tracing, Pelosi said, adding, the people should adhere to the social distancing mandates and face covering guidelines even after the renewed hopes with the emergency authorisation of Covid-19 vaccine. This would prevent more fatalities until the vaccine is made available for all the citizens, she said further.
Moderna Covid-19 vaccine update
Meanwhile, an external panel advising the US FDA has endorsed the emergency usage of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine in the United States. The Massachusetts-headquartered drug maker Moderna submitted the EUA request to FDA on 30 November for the proposed Covid-19 vaccine that is intended to prevent the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
The external committee of the advisors have voted unanimously that the likely benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the potential risks associated with it. The FDA has received the CMC data for the Moderna vaccine and has determined that the information is consistent with the recommendations set by FDA on the EUA of Covid-19 vaccines.
