2nd COVID-19 vaccine authorized in US preparing to ship out

Workers on Sunday began packaging shipments of second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in U.S., a desperately needed boost to efforts to bring coronavirus pandemic under control.

Employees at a factory in Memphis area were boxing up vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and National Institutes of Health. much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday, just three days after Food and Drug Administration authorized ir emergency rollout.

Later Sunday, an expert committee will debate who should be next in line for early doses of Moderna vaccine and a similar one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech. Pfizer's shots were first shipped out a week ago and started being used next day, kicking off nation’s biggest vaccination drive.

Public health experts say shots — and ors in pipeline — are only way to stop a virus that has been spreading wildly. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on aver test positive for virus, which has killed more than 314,000 in U.S. and nearly 1.7 million worldwide.

Pfizer and Moderna shots shipped so far and going out over next few weeks are nearly all going to health care workers and residents of long-term care homes, based on advice of Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

That panel meets Sunday to debate who should get doses available after those early shots are given.

re won’t be eugh shots for general population until spring, so doses will be rationed at least for next several months.

panel members are leaning toward putting “essential workers” next in line, because people like bus drivers, grocery store clerks and ors are ones getting infected most often. But or experts say people 65 and older should be next, along with people with certain medical conditions, because those are Americans who are dying at highest rates.

expert panel’s advice is almost always endorsed by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. matter what CDC says, re will be differences from state to state, because ir health departments have different ideas about who should be closer to front of line.

Both new Moderna vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. second dose must be from same company as first. Both vaccines appeared safe and strongly protective in large, still unfinished studies.