The United States Released an Universal Vaccination Plan : Return to Normal Life Next Year

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that it will provide all Americans with the new coronavirus vaccine free of charge. Most candidate vaccines are 2 doses, 21 to 28 days apart.

Earlier this month, in a report submitted to the Congress by the Federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Department of Defense and a 'program' for each state and locality, named 'COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations'. The program will inplement gradually begin later this year or in January next year, and will eventually expand to all Americans who want to be vaccinated. The Pentagon is involved in the distribution of vaccines, but it will be local medical workers who vaccinate people.

According to the brochure, the distribution and vaccination plan of the new coronavirus vaccine mainly includes :

▪ For most vaccines, people need two doses 21 to 28 days apart. The double-dose vaccine will have to come from the same pharmaceutical manufacturer, and several vaccines from different manufacturers may be approved and supplied.

▪ The initial supply of vaccines may be limited, and the focus will be on protecting frontline medical staff, other essential employees, and people in vulnerable groups. The National Academy of Medicine is studying the priorities for the first phase. The second and third phases will promote vaccination nationwide.

▪ The vaccine itself will be free, and patients will not pay out of pocket for the injection. Support plans for vaccination under the CARES Act and Families First Coronavirus Response Act are also being specified to ensure that no Americans are charged for out-of-pocket costs for vaccine administration.

This is also due to the billions of taxpayer funds approved by the Congress and allocated by the Trump Administration.

▪ States and local communities will need to develop precise plans for receiving and distributing vaccines locally, some of which will require special handling, such as refrigeration or freezing. If necessary, the government's McKesson contract will cover the rapid delivery of vaccines at low temperatures. For example, Pfizer’s vaccine may need to be stored at around minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit. The states and cities have one month to submit plans.

▪ Many of the guidelines described in the plan overlap with other immunization and influenza routine requirements, but the scope and complexity are not in the same order of magnitude. The guidance will be updated in real time as new information emerges, including the vaccination rules for pregnant women and children.

The vaccine will be distributed in four stages:

Stage 1 : vaccination for health workers, the elderly and people with underlying health problems;

Stage 2 : front-line workers, teachers, people in homeless shelters and prisoners;

Stage 3 : children and young people;

Stage 4 : Healthy adults have to wait until the last batch of vaccination.

Public health experts have previously stated that this means that most Americans will be vaccinated against the new coronavirus by the middle of next year.

After the report was released, President Trump wrote on Twitter : 'Vaccines are being developed rapidly and safely!'

As of last month, the United States has invested billions of dollars in six potential vaccines, including pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, which have all entered the third phase of clinical trials.

Pfizer and Moderna will become the main sources of the first batch of vaccines in the United States. The type of new coronavirus vaccine developed by these two companies is mRNA, which is safer than traditional inactivated vaccines and is also a revolutionary breakthrough in the history of vaccines.

American experts said that the inactivated vaccine is to inject the entire vaccine into the human body, and the mRNA only introduces the core spike protein messenger ribonucleic acid into the human body to promote the production of antigen proteins by human cells, thereby achieving immunity.

According to CNBC, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday that by the third quarter of next year, the United States should have enough doses of the new coronavirus vaccine to allow Americans to return to 'normal lives'.

CDC Director Robert Redfield told a Senate panel that he expects the vaccination will start in November or December, but the number is limited. The vaccine will be distributed in four stages and will be given priority to healthcare workers and the elderly who wait for vaccination. It will take about '6 to 9 months' before all the American public can be vaccinated.

Redfield said that the Trump Administration's new coronavirus vaccine program has been operating at an unprecedented speed. The vaccine usually takes 4 to 6 years, but in just a few months, the first batch of vaccines in the United States may be vaccinated.

By the third quarter of 2021, the United States should have sufficient doses of the new coronavirus vaccine, and the United States can return to 'normal life'.