On this edition of Your Call, we’re discussing the COVID vaccine as the US death toll surpassed 300,000 yesterday. Sandra Lindsay, an ICU nurse in Queens, was the first person in the US to receive Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine. This week, almost three million doses in all 50 states will be given to first priority groups, including frontline healthcare workers and those in long-term care facilities.
Later in the show, we’ll discuss vaccine equity in poor countries, which could be forced to wait until at least 2022 because wealthy countries are hoarding far more doses than they need. What will it take to ensure people in countries like Pakistan and Kenya have access?
Guests:
Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee
Dr. Mohga Kamal-Yanni, policy adviser to the People’s Vaccine Alliance and UNAIDS, the UN joint program on HIV and AIDS
Web Resources:
NPR, Bill Chappell: US Starts Vaccinating People Against COVID-19
Stat News, Helen Branswell & Nicholas Florko: FDA grants historic authorization to a Covid-19 vaccine, setting stage for rollout
The New York Times, Abby Goodnough: How the Vaccine Will Get From the Lab to You
The New York Times, Sharon LaFraniere, Katie Thomas, Noah Weiland: Trump Administration Passed on Chance to Secure More of Pfizer Vaccine
PBS: How a vaccine will be administered to hard-to-reach communities
The Guardian, Sarah Boseley: Nine out of 10 in poor nations to miss out on inoculation as west buys up Covid vaccines