Page 2 - aruba-today-20201202

A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 2 december 2020

U.S. panel: 1st vaccines to health care workers, nursing homes

Continued from Front priorities.
Among the possibilities: Dr. Deborah Birx of the
teachers, police, firefighters White House coronavirus
and workers in other essen- task force said in a meet-
tial fields such as food pro- ing with CDC officials last
duction and transportation; month that people 65 and
the elderly; and people older should go to the
with underlying medical head of the line, accord-
conditions. ing to a federal official who
Tuesday’s action merely was not authorized to dis-
designated who should get cuss the matter and spoke
shots first if a safe and ef- to The Associated Press on
fective vaccine becomes condition of anonymity.
available. The panel did Then last week U.S. Health
not endorse any particular and Human Services Secre-
vaccine. Panel members tary Alex Azar stressed that
are waiting to hear FDA’s ultimately governors will
evaluation and to see decide who in their states
more safety and efficacy gets the shots. Vice Presi-
data before endorsing any dent Mike Pence echoed
particular product. that view.
Experts say the vaccine The comments churned
will probably not become up long-standing concerns
widely available in the U.S. during the Trump admin-
until the spring. istration that vaccination
The panel of outside sci- decisions would be dic-
entific experts, created in tated by political concerns
1964, makes recommenda- instead of science.
tions to the director of the Asked whether Azar’s com-
Centers for Disease Con- ment played a role in the
trol and Prevention, who scheduling of the meeting,
almost always approves Romero said; “We don’t live
them. It normally has 15 in a bubble. We know what
voting members, but one he said. But that wasn’t the
seat is vacant. In this March 16, 2020, file photo, pharmacist Michael Witte holds a tray with a syringe containing primary reason this is being
The recommendations are a shot that will be used in the first clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19 at the Kaiser done.”
not binding, but for de- Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Jason Schwartz, a professor
cades they have been Associated Press of health policy at the Yale
widely heeded by doctors, As the virtual meeting got such facilities are fully vac- administer the shots and School of Public Health,
and they have determined underway, panel member cinated, that would likely tend to the booming num- said it makes sense for the
the scope and funding of Dr. Beth Bell of the University have a greater impact of ber of infected Americans. panel to take the unusual
U.S. vaccination programs. of Washington noted that stopping spread of the virus For months, members of step of getting its recom-
It will be up to state authori- on average, one person is in those places. the immunization panel mendation out first.
ties whether to follow the dying of COVID-19 per min- But committee members had said they wouldn’t “Without that formal rec-
guidance. It will also be left ute in the U.S. right now, “so were unanimous in voic- take a vote until the FDA ommendation, it does
to them to make further, I guess we are acting none ing support for vaccinat- approved a vaccine. That create a void from which
more detailed decisions if too soon.” ing health care workers — is customary procedure for states could go off in all
necessary — for example, About 3 million people are about 21 million people, the panel, with some ex- sorts of different directions,”
whether to put emergency living in nursing homes, according to CDC officials. ceptions, such as during said Schwartz, who is not on
room doctors and nurses long-term chronic care That broad category in- a flu outbreak in 2009. But the panel.
ahead of other health care hospitals, and other U.S. cludes medical staff who late last week, the group HHS officials have said they
workers if vaccine supplies long-term care facilities. care for — or come in con- suddenly scheduled an will distribute initial doses
are low. Those patients and the tact with — patients in hos- emergency meeting for to states based on popu-
The outbreak in the U.S. staff members who care for pitals, nursing homes, clinics Tuesday. lation, and it’s possible or
has killed nearly 270,000 them have accounted for and doctor’s offices. It also The panel’s chairman, Dr. even likely that some states
people and caused more 6% of the nation’s corona- includes home health care Jose Romero, said the de- won’t receive enough to
than 13.5 million confirmed virus cases and a stagger- workers and paramedics. cision stemmed from a re- cover all of their health
infections, with deaths, ing 39% of the deaths, CDC Depending on how state alization that the states are care workers and nursing
hospitalizations and cases officials say. officials apply the panel’s facing a Friday deadline home residents.
rocketing in recent weeks. Despite the heavy toll, recommendations, it could to place initial orders for CDC officials said they
some board members at also encompass janitorial the Pfizer vaccine and de- are optimistic such short-
Tuesday’s meeting said staff, food service employ- termine where they should ages would last only a few
they hesitated to include ees and medical records be delivered. The commit- weeks.
such patients in the first clerks. tee decided to meet now Still, governors and local of-
group getting shots. They The government estimates to give state and local of- ficials may have to decide
wanted more information people working in health ficials guidance, he said. which health care workers
about the safety and ef- care account for 12% of But some panel members or which regions get shots
fectiveness of new vac- U.S. COVID-19 cases but and other experts had also first, Schwartz said.
cines on the fragile people only about 0.5% of deaths. grown concerned by com- “It’s up to states to figure
living in such facilities. Some Experts say it’s imperative ments from Trump admin- out the more granular de-
noted research that sug- to keep health care work- istration officials that sug- tail,” he said.q
gested that if the staff at ers on their feet so they can gested differing vaccine