The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerted state and local health authorities to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine towards the end of the year, according to a CNN report.
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The document indicates that there will be pilot states, such as North Dakota, Florida, California, Minnesota, and Philadelphia. The quantities that will be delivered will depend on the size of the population in each one. They also prioritize certain groups, including health professionals, essential workers, and people confined to long-term care institutions.
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Typically, when planning exercises during a pandemic, the federal government is encouraged to prepare the distribution network for a potential vaccine while scientists work on one that is fully tested and accepted. The Trump administration says it has followed protocol.
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For now, the scenario documents cited by CNN note that while the outlook on a possible vaccine is in the works, it is still uncertain.
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CDC Director Robert Redfield said Wednesday in an interview with Con Yahoo Finance that the federal agency is preparing so that one or more vaccines may be available by the end of the year.
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“Right now I will say that we are seriously preparing for what I believe may be a reality … that there will be one or more vaccines available for November, December, and we have to find a way to distribute them as equitably as possible throughout the country, “he said.
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