As Vaccine Comes Closer To Market, Coronavirus Cases Top 13 Million In U.S.

The first doses of coronavirus vaccine could be distributed by the middle of December. It can’t come soon enough as the number of Covid cases continues to soar, and this is before factoring in the predicted Thanksgiving surge. The New York Times reports:

The latest virus surge began accelerating across much of the country in mid-October. The nation went from eight million cases to nine million in just over two weeks in October; from nine to 10 million in 10 days; from 10 million to 11 million in just under seven days; and from 11 million to 12 million in just five days, hitting that milestone on Nov. 20. The pace to the 13 millionth case slowed, coming after seven days.

What’s especially concerning about that number is that it doesn’t tell the whole story. Several states didn’t report their numbers on Thursday due to the holiday so the numbers could actually grow. A lot of testing sites were also closed. The Associated Press warns that “coronavirus testing numbers that have guided much of the nation’s response to the pandemic are likely to be erratic over the next week or so.”

The result could be potential dips in reported infections that offer the illusion that the spread of the virus is easing when, in fact, the numbers say little about where the nation stands in fighting COVID-19. 

Meanwhile, next week could be a pivotal one when it comes to upcoming vaccines. The CDC told CNN there will be holding an emergency meeting next week to discuss COVID vaccines. CNN writes:

While it does not say explicitly that the meeting is to discuss coronavirus vaccine distribution, there’s no other likely reason for such a meeting to be called...

ACIP (The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) met on Monday to discuss whether to recommend any coronavirus vaccine that might get emergency use authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration and to talk about who should be first in line to get one.

In advance of emergency use authorization from the FDA, the Wall Street Journal says United Airlines “on Friday began operating charter flights to position doses of Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine for quick distribution if the shots are approved by regulators, according to people familiar with the matter.”

The initial flights are one link in a global supply chain being assembled to tackle the logistical challenge of distributing Covid-19 vaccines. Pfizer has been laying the groundwork to move quickly if it gets approval from the Food and Drug Administration and other regulators world-wide.