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Could coronavirus finally be over?
On Friday, it was reported that the US by the Food and Drug Administration is set to grant an emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement during an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Because of the authorization, some vaccinations could begin as soon as early next week.
“I’ve got some good news for you,” Azar said. “Just a little bit ago, the FDA informed Pfizer that they do intend to proceed toward an authorization for their vaccine.
“So in the next couple of days, probably as we work to negotiate with Pfizer the information doctors need to prescribe it appropriately, we should be seeing the authorization of this first vaccine. We could be seeing people getting vaccinated Monday, Tuesday of next week.”
NEW: HHS Azar says FDA will proceed with emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine and vaccinations could come as soon as Monday or Tuesday of next week. https://t.co/v1dsjMAvCK pic.twitter.com/48CGRJRTVs
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 11, 2020
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 15.5 million confirmed cases and 290,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
