When Can We Expect a COVID Vaccine? The CDC Estimates as Soon as Mid-December

Image Source: Getty / Mario Tama

Just days after Pfizer reported that its COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be 95 percent effective, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield announced that the vaccine will likely be available “by the end of the second week in December.” According to an interview Redfield did with Fox News, he projects that 40 million doses of the vaccine will be produced before the end of the year. “That’s enough to vaccinate 20 million people,” he said. “But then it will continue through January and February and hopefully by March we’ll start to see vaccine available for the general public.”

Redfield added that, once the medication has been approved, it will be rolled out in a hierarchical manner, prioritizing nursing home residents and healthcare providers. The news may be a relief to millions of households across the country, but Redfield urges the public to continue abiding by the CDC’s recommended COVID-19 safety precautions as we wait for the new vaccine to become widely available. “I want people to be vigilant because we’re turning the corner now,” he said. “You don’t want to be the last group to end up getting COVID.”