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Added on the 11/02/2021 13:00:00 - Copyright : EFE Inglés
The US Department of Health and Human Services expanded COVID-19 vaccine availability. The agency said they will now include people age 65 and older in the initial phase of distribution. According to UPI, the changes also give priority to those with underlying health conditions. People of any age with underlying health conditions are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 infection. In addition to expanding the priority population, HHS will also be releasing the nation's "entire supply" of vaccines. As of Tuesday, just 9 million of the 25 million vaccine doses distributed had been administered.
In less than three months, Israel expects to have immunized all its citizens who are over 16 against the novel coronavirus. Business Insider reports achieving that goal would likely make Israel the world's first to immunize the vast majority of its population. Israel has far outpaced the rest of the world with its vaccination campaign. In fact, it has already administered the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to about one in five of its citizens. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced a deal with Pfizer to secure enough doses to immunize its adult population by the end of March.
Many people are concerned about severe allergic reactions to the coronavirus vaccine. But based on findings, the chances of having a severe allergic reaction are low. In the first week and a half of the US COVID-19 vaccine effort, the CDC confirmed 29 reactions. These confirmed cases are severe allergic reactions known as anaphylaxis. The cases to 29 out of 1.9 million doses administered means this reaction is very rare. That adds up to a rate of 11.1 cases of anaphylaxis out of 1 million doses administered.
The CDC unveiled an interactive vaccine-tracking map on Thursday. The map shows how many vaccine doses each state has been allocated. It also shows how many shots each has administered so far, reports Business Insider. The US fell far short of its goal to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of 2020. At its current pace, it would take the country 9 years to vaccinate the whole population. The pace must pick up in order for the vaccine to combat the virus effectively.
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.