The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Sunday that it has accepted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) recommendation for use of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine in the US. "With two recommended vaccines, ACIP will recommend additional groups for vaccination," CDC tweeted. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Moderna, becoming the second vaccine authorized under an EUA for the prevention of COVID-19 in the US. Media outlets reported that Moderna began shipping its vaccine on Sunday as the first vaccinations are expected on Monday. Meanwhile, Operation Warp Speed head Moncef Slaoui told CNN Sunday that "up to now, I don't think there has been a single variant that would be resistant to the (coronavirus) vaccine. He added, "We can't exclude it, but it's not there now," and that "because the vaccines are using antibodies against many different parts of the spike protein, the chances that all of them change, I think, are low." This comes as the UK warned of new mutated strain of COVID-19 this is not more dangerous but it is highly contagious and rapidly spreading. 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. 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. While Pfizer began clinical trials of its vaccine in children as young as 12 in October, Moderna did not begin its pediatric studies until this month and does not expect to have complete data on safety and efficacy until sometime next year. Much of the committee's deliberations centered on the severe allergic reactions reported in several cases following injections of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which contains ingredients similar to those in Moderna's recipe. Six cases of anaphylaxis have now been documented in the United States, and two in Britain. Several milder allergic reactions have occurred, as well. More than 272,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have already been doled out nationwide as of Saturday, according to the CDC. — Agencies
