As the coronavirus continued to surge across the United States, an independent panel of experts advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted on Saturday to endorse a second coronavirus vaccine for use in the United States. The committee’s recommendation follows an emergency authorization granted by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday. The committee’s endorsement now awaits final approval by Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the C.D.C., expected shortly. Some 5.9 million doses of the Moderna vaccine are slated for distribution starting on Sunday, and the first inoculations are expected to begin sometime on Monday. Unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which was authorized for use in people 16 and older, Moderna’s vaccine is approved only for people 18 and older.

Source: New York Times December 19, 2020 22:36 UTC