Europe launched a mass Covid-19 vaccination drive on Dec. 27 with pensioners and medics lining up to get the first shots to see off a pandemic that has crippled economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives worldwide.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the use of Moderna Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine on people 18 years of age and older.
U.S. distribution of Moderna Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine began on Dec. 19, with more than 3,700 sites due to start receiving and administering shots as soon as Dec. 21, vastly widening the rollout started by Pfizer Inc.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence received his Covid-19 vaccine live on television on Dec. 18, seeking to shore up public support for vaccinations after U.S. deaths from the coronavirus topped 3,000 for a third straight day.
Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate has a better immune response when a two full-dose regime is used rather than a full-dose followed by a half-dose booster, the university said, citing data from early trials.
U.S. coronavirus deaths soared to a daily record of 3,580 and hospitalizations rose for the 19th straight day on Dec. 16, ramping up the stakes as regulators on Dec. 17 considered whether to approve a second Covid-19 vaccine.
The first days of Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout have seen unexpected hitches including some vaccines being stored at excessively cold temperatures and Pfizer reporting potential challenges in vaccine production, U.S. officials said.
Daily U.S. deaths from Covid-19 surpassed 3,000 for the third time in a week as the country expanded its vaccination program and Congress progressed toward approving financial relief for pandemic-stricken America.
The European Union is on course to approve its first Covid-19 vaccine before Christmas after the EU drug regulator brought forward a deadline for review following the start of immunization campaigns in the United States and Britain.
An intensive care unit nurse became the first person in New York state to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on Dec. 14, marking a pivotal turn in the U.S. effort to control the deadly virus.
