More Vaccines In The Works

As the U.S. COVID-19 related death toll edges toward 450,000, additional vaccines are being tested.

Currently, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are the only vaccines that have been given emergency authorization. Waiting in the wings to be approved in the United States are three other vaccines: AstraZeneca’s AZD1222, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax. A variety of other companies throughout the world have released their vaccines and begun vaccinating residents in other nations.

According to COVID-19 Prevention Network, it is important to continue the vaccine research so that by approving and using several vaccines the pandemic could end sooner. Much of the world’s population of more than 7 billion people is affected by COVID-19 and a variety of vaccines are needed, depending on age and health status.

The CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention fact sheet said that none of the current vaccines contain live virus and the COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19. The CDC explained that the vaccines teach the human immune system how to fight the virus and that reaction can produce a fever. The Moderna vaccine is 94% effective.

The vaccine will need a few weeks to build immunity in people to protect them from the COVID-19 virus.

Kimball County has seen a significant drop in COVID-19 cases with eight cases in the past 14 days and six deaths over the course of the pandemic.

Once all healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities have received their doses, it is estimated that from January to May the vaccination phase will include people 65 and older, first responders, utilities workers, homeless shelter staff, corrections staff and educators.

To date 4,648 people in the Panhandle have been vaccinated, and 5,612 people have signed up so far to receive the vaccination.