FDA prepares to OK 2nd vaccine as average daily cases, deaths hit records
Medical staff members enter the COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) at the United Memorial Medical Center on Dec. 10, 2020, in Houston. (Go Nakamura/Getty Images)
by: Jason Hanna and Christina Maxouris, CNN
Posted:
Dec 18, 2020 / 06:15 PM EST
(CNN) US officials say they’re “rapidly” working toward issuing emergency authorization for what would be the nation’s second COVID-19 vaccine even as coronavirus hospitalizations, cases and deaths are piling up in unprecedented ways.
The Food and Drug Administration is widely expected to issue the authorization soon for Moderna’s vaccine candidate, after the agency’s vaccine advisers voted Thursday to recommend this. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would need to green-light the vaccine before shots can be administered and a CDC advisory panel is meeting this weekend to discuss it.
NEW YORK (AP) A major snowstorm rolled into the Northeast on Wednesday at a key moment in the coronavirus pandemic, days after the start of the U.S. vaccination campaign and in the thick of a virus surge that has throngs of people seeking tests per day.
Snow was falling from northern Virginia to points north of New York City by late afternoon. The storm was poised to drop as much as 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow in some places by Thursday, and the pandemic added new complexities to officials preparations deciding whether to close testing sites, figuring out how to handle plowing amid outdoor dining platforms in New York City streets, redefining school snow days to mean another day of learning from home, and more.
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP) The first COVID-19 vaccinations are underway at U.S. nursing homes, where the virus has killed more than 110,000 people, even as the nation struggles to contain a surge so alarming it has spurred California to dispense thousands of body bags and line up refrigerated morgue trucks.
With the rollout of shots picking up speed Wednesday, lawmakers in Washington closed in on a long-stalled $900 billion coronavirus relief package that would send direct payments of around $600 to most Americans. Meanwhile, the U.S. appeared to be days away from adding a second vaccine to its arsenal.
At the same time, a major snowstorm pushing its way into the Northeast raised concern it could disrupt distribution of the first vaccine.
The storm caused damage in South Philadelphia.
It s been a while! Philadelphia received its biggest snowfall in 1,001 days! ☃️ https://t.co/dtWFcya260pic.twitter.com/QFogSrRLjO Action News on 6abc (@6abc) December 17, 2020
Main St. in Manayunk is looking good. The side streets aren’t there yet. @6abc#SnowStorm2020pic.twitter.com/WymXvzE8g2 Corey Davis (@CoreyDavis6abc) December 17, 2020
The snow really came down in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, where as much as 11.8 inches of snow was recorded.
We also spotted some children playing by the Christmas tree, while others rushed to seek shelter indoors. Even in the snow, many are still adhered to mask mandates.
Comparing the Moderna and Pfizer coronavirus vaccines 01:49 (CNN)Vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration are scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss the second coronavirus vaccine aimed at the US market, this one made by biotechnology company Moderna.
The FDA has already telegraphed that a quick emergency use authorization can be expected and this one could go through even faster than the EUA for Pfizer last week itself a speedy process.
The Moderna vaccine is very similar to Pfizer s and BioNTech s vaccine. Both use a new approach involving genetic material known as messenger RNA or mRNA. It s based on the same technology, Dr. Elissa Malkin, co-investigator for the Moderna Clinical Trial at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, told CNN.