OFM breaking
A
COVID VACCINE
IS ON THE
HORIZON by Ray Manzari
A
s 2020 comes to a close, we are brought hopeful news of two highly effective COVID vaccines. With the FDA approving Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use in October, and authorization of Moderna’s gaining approval by the end of the year, officials are saying we could see a return to normalcy by next June. Both vaccines require two doses administered 21 days apart. Clinical trials held that both vaccines were operating at a 95 percent efficiency rate, yet not all Americans felt the same boost of confidence from this report. Most polls show that anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of Americans are willing to get vaccinated, which is not as high as health officials would like to see for a vaccine to fully eradicate the virus. Polls are showing 1 0 OFM J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 1
that skepticism is even higher among racial and ethnic minorities, as those groups have been hit especially hard by the disease. However, a diverse group of people participated in every phase of the clinical trials of the vaccine, including populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. In Pfizer’s clinical trials, about 42 percent of volunteers identified as Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, or Native American. About 37 percent of volunteers for Moderna’s trials identified as Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/ Latino/a, or other. In November, officials ruled that distribution would be carried out by the states; however, both the FDA and CDC have issued guidelines for doing so. Officials
