It’s still unknown when a COVID-19 vaccine might be available in the United States. But when one is first approved, there may only be 10 million to 15 million doses available, which may be enough to cover around 3% to 5% of the U.S. population. That’s according to estimates from Operation Warp Speed, the government’s vaccine project, published in a draft framework from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
There are many who would benefit from the protection a safe and effective vaccine would afford; policymakers must decide who gets the vaccine first.
A vaccine advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is meeting Tuesday to consider how to prioritize distribution of a future COVID-19 vaccine. But a vote on who will get a vaccine first, originally planned for Tuesday, has been delayed.