EXPLAINER: When and where? How vaccines will roll out in US
NEW YORK (AP) — With coronavirus vaccines on the horizon, when and where will most Americans get their shots?
Many of the details are still being worked out, as regulators review the first vaccine candidates. A federal panel of vaccine experts is meeting this week to consider Pfizer's vaccine, and again next week for Moderna's.
If the advisory group gives a thumbs-up, the Food and Drug Administration could green light the shots soon after, setting into motion the country’s largest ever vaccination effort.
It will take many months to reach everyone, and expect bumps in the road.
But don't get discouraged, said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
"We will work through those,” he said.
WHEN CAN I GET VACCINATED?
It depends on your risk of getting infected or getting seriously ill. Are you a health care worker? A resident of a nursing home or getting long-term care? Those folks should be first in line for the initial, limited supply, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided.
The first shots could be given within days if the FDA gives the go-ahead for emergency use. States will ultimately decide where to send the shots.
Based on Pfizer's and Moderna's stockpiles, federal officials estimate 20 million people in the first priority group could be vaccinated by the end of the year. Both vaccines require two doses.
WHO'S NEXT IN LINE?
An expert panel that advises the CDC on vaccines will meet again to recommend the next group. Possibilities include anyone 65 and older, teachers, police, firefighters and workers in other essential fields, such as food production.
More vaccines are in the pipeline, and officials have said they want to have shots widely available to everyone else before the...