US government will offer Covid-19 vaccine free to all Americans – and they’ll need two shots of it
Every American will be offered a free coronavirus vaccine from January 2021 – and most people who take up the offer will need two injections of it.
A report given to the US Congress Wednesday says the vaccination campaign may begin by the end of the year, and is likely to be in full-swing by January.
Anyone who takes up the offer of a free shot will be given two doses 21 to 28 days apart, with each patient being given both shots from the same vaccine manufacturer.
Multiple US pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer and Moderna are racing to develop their own shots, with results from ongoing final-phase testing expected as early as October.
Other manufacturers around the world are developing their own shots, with scientists saying most vaccines tested appear to offer protection from Covid-19.
The vaccination program has been described as a ‘marathon’ rather than a ‘sprint’, with officials warning it will be a much more complex task than distributing a regular flu vaccine.
They have warned supplies of the vaccine will initially be limited, with priority given to healthcare and frontline workers, as well as people particularly vulnerable to serious side effects if they were to catch coronavirus. Billions of dollars of taxpayer funds approved by Congress and President Trump’s administration will be used to foot the bill for the mass-vaccination program, although polls show that up to half of Americans say they are wary of getting the shot.
The race to develop and encourage people to take a vaccine has been heavily politicized, with Donald Trump accused of pushing for a shot to be ready in time for the November 3 presidential election, with polls showing him flagging behind challenger Joe Biden.
It has also been hijacked by conspiracy theorists, who have pushed outlandish theories that the vaccine is being created as part of a shadowy attempt to control the world’s population.
Alex Azar, who is head of the US Department for Health and Human Services, sought to allay fears over safety in a statement Wednesday. He said: ‘We are working closely with our state and local public health partners … to ensure that Americans can receive the vaccine as soon as possible and vaccinate with confidence.
‘Americans should know that the vaccine development process is being driven completely by science and the data.” If the multiple prototypes currently in late-stage testing succeed, they will be by-far the fastest vaccines ever to have been brought onto the market.
Scientists think that around 70% of the US population will need to take up the offer of a vaccine in order to kill-off Covid-19 infections. US states and cities have been asked to submit plans on proposed vaccination programs, and how they plan to store the vaccines, which may require refrigeration or freezing. Coronavirus has so-far infected 6.6million Americans, and killed close to 196,000.
