statefan91 said:
The independent review board that is supposed to approve the vaccine for the US is to meet on 12/10 and if approved (most expect it to be approved some day), the US should start to see vaccines on 12/12 to 12/14. I am not sure why the independent board in the US is not meeting until 12/10, but it is possible they are using the period between the time the application was filed and 12/10 to review all of the data.
While the Pfizer vaccine is important, the requirements to keep it super cold will limit where it can be used. For this reason, I am more interested in the Moderna vaccine and getting it approved. You will likely see the Pfizer vaccine used in more urban areas with large medical centers that have the facilities to keep the vaccine at the proper temperatures. The Moderna vaccine does need to be kept cold, but does not need to be kept super cold (requires refrigerator level temperatures) and for this reason, the Moderna vaccine has the potential to be used in more rural areas of the country.
One of the keys will be getting people to accept being vaccinated, once the vaccines become more readily available in the Spring and Summer. The most recent poll I saw, showed less than 60% of people would get the vaccine when it becomes available. I think there are people who refuse to take any vaccine and this contributes to some of the results. I also think there are people who really do not understand how vaccine development works and are afraid of a vaccine that was developed so rapidly.
Personally, I will have no issues getting vaccinated. I have read the science behind these vaccines and have read about the side-effects. I have not seen anything that gives me pause in taking any of the vaccines we will have available. The approval process is not being rushed and the independent review board is made up of scientist that have no political or corporate leanings. They are all about the science.