Biden: "100 Million Vaccinations in First 100 Days"...Global Vaccine Rollout Begins (Comprehensive)

US FDA Pfizer Vaccine Approval Expected on the 10th... Distribution Immediately After Approval
Pfizer Vaccine 90% Hoarded by Developed Countries... Emerging Countries Must Wait Longer

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min, Beijing=Correspondent Jo Young-shin, Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] Following the UK, COVID-19 vaccination is set to begin in the United States. It is expected that the global vaccination relay will start from the end of this year through early next year. Advanced countries such as the United States, which has already secured vaccines for over 1 billion people, and the European Union (EU), which has secured vaccines for over 1.5 billion people, plan to vaccinate their entire populations by the second quarter of next year. Although emerging countries have also announced plans to start vaccinations around the year-end and New Year holidays, it is anticipated that widespread vaccination for the entire population will become possible only after the vaccine supplies pre-ordered by advanced countries are distributed, likely from the second quarter of next year onward.

According to foreign media including CNN, on the 8th (local time), President-elect Joe Biden stated at a press conference held in Wilmington, Delaware, "Within the first 100 days after taking office, we will ensure that 100 million Americans receive the COVID-19 vaccine." Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who joined Biden's health team, also participated via video at the event, saying, "If we unite, we can overcome the COVID-19 pandemic," and explained, "If vaccines are sufficiently administered, COVID-19 control can be achieved in the second half of next year."

On the same day, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report with a positive evaluation of the Pfizer vaccine ahead of the vaccine approval review scheduled for the 10th. According to The New York Times (NYT), the FDA stated in the report, "Safety data obtained from approximately 38,000 clinical trial participants do not reveal any specific safety concerns that would preclude emergency use authorization, suggesting that the vaccine is safe." Accordingly, it is expected that the vaccine will likely be approved at the FDA advisory committee meeting on the 10th. U.S. health authorities plan to begin vaccine transportation immediately after approval and start vaccinations on the 11th in 54 vaccination zones nationwide.

Not only the United States but most countries around the world are rushing to announce large-scale vaccination plans starting around the year-end and New Year holidays. According to the BBC, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which approves vaccines in the European Union (EU), also stated in a press release on the same day, "We will review the safety, quality, and efficacy of the vaccine during the Christmas holidays, and the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) will meet no later than the 29th of this month for approval." EU member states are known to plan vaccinations immediately after EMA approval.

China, which already granted emergency use authorization for the state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinovac's vaccine on July 22, announced emergency vaccinations in the Sichuan Province following news of local COVID-19 infections. According to China's state-run Global Times, on the 9th, health authorities in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, where local COVID-19 infections occurred, announced plans to vaccinate 2 million priority recipients including medical staff, overseas workers, and teachers. The Chinese government declared the end of COVID-19 within China on September 8, but after a cluster infection occurred in Zhejiang Province on October 20, vaccinations were conducted in that area. The Chinese government plans to produce 610 million doses of vaccines developed mainly by two state-owned companies, Sinovac and Sinopharm, by the end of this year and start nationwide vaccinations from early next year.

In addition, advanced countries such as Japan, Canada, and Australia have pre-ordered large quantities of vaccines from leading developers like Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, and plan to start vaccinations from the end of this year to early next year. According to a global vaccine supply status compiled by Duke University's Global Health Innovation Center as of the 4th of this month, the United States has secured 1.01 billion doses, the EU 1.585 billion doses, Japan 290 million doses, Canada 358 million doses, and Australia 134.8 million doses, all far exceeding their respective populations.

Emerging countries are also preparing for vaccinations, including Bahrain, which became the second country in the world after the UK to approve the Pfizer vaccine on the 4th, Brazil, which is also expected to approve the Pfizer vaccine soon, and Indonesia, which has secured vaccines such as Sinovac's.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.