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Added on the 15/01/2021 16:00:00 - Copyright : France 24 EN
New Jersey announced Thursday it would start vaccinating people age 65 and older. But also, they will be vaccinating people with underlying health conditions against the coronavirus. One of those health conditions that now bumps New Jerseyans to the front of the line is smoking. Only people age 75 and older and essential workers were recommended to be next in line. However, US officials recently urged states to expand eligibility says Business Insider. Smoking makes it much harder for your lungs to be healthy, putting you at risk for COVID.
Starting in two weeks, states with the speediest vaccine rollouts will be prioritized. The prioritization will be for additional doses, US officials announced Tuesday. The new system is meant to incentivize states to promptly record vaccinations. It will also prevent doses from sitting in freezers, says Business Insider. But it could also punish states that lack the funding or resources to accelerate vaccine administration. The strategy is set to take effect after President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci says the rate of vaccinations against COVID-19 should speed up soon. Business Insider reports Fauci told ABC News' Martha Raddatz on Sunday there's no reason why the US can't immunize 1 million people per day right now. If so, it would put the country on track to meet President-elect Joe Biden's goal of vaccinating 100 million people in his first 100 days in office. Fauci said that herd immunity in around 75% to 90% of the population might be achieved by the end of summer or early fall. According to Business Insider, he explained that his estimate could vary, based on how many people choose to get vaccinated.
The vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus COVID-19 is rolling along--but very, very slowly. While the FDA has approved two vaccines for distribution, experts say it will be many months before all Americans who want a vaccine can receive one. An NBC News analysis says that at the current pace, it'll take nearly a decade to vaccinate enough Americans to bring the pandemic under control. And according to Business Insider, Brown University's Dr. Ashish K. Jha knows why. He says it's because the Trump administration has bucked the responsibility of vaccine distribution to already overwhelmed state health departments.
Three coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca have shown to be effective in late-stage trials. According to Business Insider, the federal government will be allocating the number of vaccine doses to states by population. This is the largest vaccination effort ever attempted in the U.S., with hundreds of millions of doses being prepared. Most states have announced the number of doses they expect to receive in the first round of distribution. With initial doses limited and lacking strong federal guidance, it's up to U.S. states to determine who will get the first vaccines.
The Wall Street Journal reported Pfizer cut the number of vaccines it planned to ship in 2020. According to Business Insider, this is due to supply chain delays. Sources say Pfizer sourced materials and set up supply chains while developing a vaccine. This is an "unprecedented" move in the world of medicine and vaccine development. But Pfizer and BioNtech maintain they will produce 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. The company says there is no change to Pfizer's vaccine commitment to the US, however.