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The United Kingdom became the first country to authorize Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, likely putting pressure on the FDA to quickly do the same. We have details below on how the U.K. plans to distribute the potentially lifesaving doses. CNBC's Will Feuer also updates us on new guidance from the CDC regarding quarantines.
| | Pfizer & BioNTech's vaccine supply expectation is the same as a month ago | But a headline this week caused anxiety in explaining why the supply projection was cut between September and November. The day the companies reported their initial 90% efficacy figure for their Covid-19 vaccine, they also included a new supply estimate for 2020 doses, at 50 million versus 100 million previously. The Wall Street Journal now explains that was due to some early batches of raw materials not meeting standards. The projection still stands at 1.3 billion next year, and Operation Warp Speed chief advisor Moncef Slaoui told us there is no change to Pfizer's current commitment to the U.S. Still, this is a brand new vaccine technology being rolled out at unprecedented scale at an unprecedented pace; we should buckle up for more potential bumps in the road.
-Meg Tirrell | | | | How the U.K. will roll out Pfizer's vaccine | The U.K. this week became the first country in the world to approve Pfizer and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine for widespread use. In a way, that was the easy part. Now, it has to deal with rolling out millions of doses of a vaccine with particular transportation and storage needs, setting up suitable vaccination sites and delivering the shots first of all to the most vulnerable members of its population and health-care personnel. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other top officials say the task ahead of them will be "difficult" and "challenging."
-Holly Ellyatt | | | | IBM uncovers email attack on Covid vaccine supply chain | Cyber security analysts at IBM said that they uncovered an email phishing scheme targeting global Covid-19 vaccine supply chains and urged cold-chain companies to remain on "high alert." The fraudulent emails impersonated a Chinese business executive at a credible cold-chain supply company dating back to September. IBM said the attacks likely targeted organizations linked to Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, which is working to supply low- and middle-income economies with an affordable Covid-19 vaccine. IBM said the attack had the "potential hallmarks of nation-state tradecraft," though it wasn't made clear which countries could be behind the emails. It also wasn't clear whether the attacks were successful, the company said.
-Noah Higgins-Dunn | | | | CDC panel recommends health workers, nursing homes will get vaccine first | Since the pandemic began, scientists and infectious disease experts have debated who will get immunized first and how the limited first Covid-19 vaccine doses will be distributed. Well, a CDC advisory panel this week voted 13-1 to give health-care workers and long-term care facility residents the first Covid-19 vaccine doses once it's cleared for public use. Although states don't have to follow the CDC's guidance, it gives them a framework to work with and that many states adopt. There are roughly 21 million health-care workers and 3 million long-term care facility residents, according to the CDC.
–Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | | | | CDC offers shorter quarantine alternatives | The CDC earlier this week announced new, shorter and riskier alternatives to its recommended 14-day quarantine for people who were exposed to someone with Covid-19. The agency still recommends people exposed to the virus quarantine for 14 days "as the best way to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19." However, they added that people exposed to the virus can exit quarantine after 10 days if they don't have symptoms, or after just one week if they don't have symptoms and test negative within 48 hours of the last day of quarantine. It's a bid to get more people to actually quarantine for some period of time, even if it's not the ideal 14 days. But some epidemiologists and health policy professionals are questioning whether changing the rules of quarantine is the best way to garner more compliance.
-Will Feuer | ![]() | | @Work Spotlight | December 10, 2020
Our Faster Future: Powering the Work of Tomorrow, Today
This year has proven that work can be done from anywhere at any time, and connectivity has proven most critical for the success of any organization. Now, realization of 5G will not only provide higher speeds, but offers opportunities to enhance communication and collaboration, advance technologies and revolutionize work across entire industries.
In this @Work Spotlight event, hear from and interact with the business leaders prepared to propel into this new, transformative era of work and innovation.
Featuring:
Barbara Humpton, Siemens USA President and CEO
Paul Jacobs, XCOM Chairman and CEO
Diane Rinaldo, Beacon Global Strategies Senior Vice President
David Grain, Grain Management Founder and CEO
Debra Lam, Georgia Tech Managing Director, Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation
Jahmy Hindman, Deere & Company Chief Technology Officer
Lindsey Parker, Washington, DC Government Chief Technology Officer
Kara Swisher, Recode Co-founder and Editor-at-Large
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