When President Donald Trump paid a visit to the National Institutes of Health last March, the leads at the vaccine research center explained their life-saving mission. The key to that mission was a 34-year-old doctor named Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.
"I was just there telling the task force about the work that we've been doing," Corbett told "CBS This Morning: Saturday" co-host Michelle Miller.
Two weeks after the visit, Corbett's team began the first stage of clinical trials. She said they took a lot of the knowledge they have gained in the last six years and applied it to a vaccine platform in collaboration with Moderna. The vaccine rolled out 10 months later.
"The vaccine teaches the body how to fend off a virus, because it teaches the body how to look for the virus by basically just showing the body the spike protein of the virus" she explained. "The body then says 'Oh, we've seen this protein before. Let's go fight against it.' That's how it works."
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, credited Corbett during a webinar for her work.
"The vaccine you are going to be taking was developed by an African American woman and that is just a fact," Fauci said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 6.5 million Americans have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. That number is expected to grow daily, though it is well behind what public health experts were hoping to see.
Corbett's interest in science started from an early age, but she never knew the difference she would make.
"To be honest, I didn't realize the level of impact that my visibility might have... I do my work because I love my work," Corbett said.
One opportunity in her life made a key difference. She attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore, as a Meyerhoff Scholar, an aggressive program that mentors minorities and women in science. Graduates of the program include Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
Dr. Freeman Hrabowski has been president at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, for nearly 30 years. He said Corbett had a strong science background but the way she was able to talk to people separated her from the rest.
"She was definitely going to make it in life," Hrabowski said. "We need more scientists who can connect to people. She could do that when she was 17, easily What we do at UMBC is to support students of color, Black, but also students in general, to make sure they make it in science."
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 18% of all students graduate with a STEM degree, among 2% are black something Hrabowski believes needs to change.
"It's important for people to see people looking like them, like themselves, who can be involved. If it's about women, or if it's about Blacks because it shows that you've got people who understand what you've gone through."
Dr. Barney Graham and Corbett have worked together for over 15 years. Graham is not only her mentor. He's also Corbett's boss as deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center.
"When you recognize somebody has special qualities, you need to do things that can keep those other things out of the way and avoid some of the dismissiveness that often happens not only to minority people but to women," Graham said.
Historically that bias strikes not just professionals in the field but those they serve. In 1931, scientists conducted the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, a study by the Public Health Service and Tuskegee Institute. It examined the progression of syphilis by letting infected Black men go untreated, with no regard to the suffering it caused.
Another example often cited is the removal of special cells of Henretta Lacks, a Baltimore, Maryland, cancer patient. In 1951, a research team at Johns Hopkins University removed Lacks' cells without her permission and used them in medical research worth billions of dollars. Lacks died of cancer and her family was never compensated.
"There are many other examples of supposedly objective scientists who were caring about everyone, who valued people of color less... It's a painful truth," Hrabowski said.
Corbett's understanding of the socio-cultural issues and her knowledge of science has made her an influential person in the scientific community.
In a time where vaccine skepticism is high among African Americans, Corbett hopes Black people will put faith in the vaccine and faith in the scientists working behind the scenes to bring it to the American people.
"Number one is that I get it. And then number two is to really take advantage of the level of transparency that we are attempting... even I haven't even seen before, such as FDA hearings and briefings being broadcast online, and data coming out almost instantly," she said.
As for Dr. Hrabowski, he believes Corbett deserves all the visibility she can get.
"She cannot be a hidden figure," he said. "She needs to be in textbooks. Little girls need to see her of all races. This is what's possible."
Florida is expecting to receive an additional 250,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines within the next week, state officials said Saturday.
The state has already received more than 1.2 million doses to date, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said.
Florida's daily vaccine report released Saturday showed about 478,000 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination since the state started administering the vaccine in mid-December. About 35,800 have received the second booster shot.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is now averaging about 40,000 shots per day, and is prepared to increase that number when the state receives more supply from the federal government.
"Demand for the vaccine is high, and we know that there is no time to waste when it comes to getting shots in arms," DeSantis said in a taped statement released Saturday.
The state has been making vaccinations available to front-line healthcare workers, staff and residents at long-term care facilities and nursing homes, and seniors 65 and older.
"We have more than 4.5 million seniors in the state and prioritizing them for the vaccine is the most effective tool we have to battle the pandemic," DeSantis said.
CLEVELAND (WJW) The first healthcare workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccination are getting their second doses.
Today makes a big difference, Cleveland VA nurse Fidelis Uzomah, who FOX 8 has followed through the vaccination process, told reporter Matt Wright earlier this week.
Uzomah said he was energized and elated.
I feel good! he said.
Wednesday, he received a second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine three weeks after his first, and he said hes had no side effects.
When I had the flu shot I had a little fever, he said. With this, I have no reaction so far.
Uzomah is among about 3,000 Cleveland VA workers and patients vaccinated through Wednesday, according to vaccine coordinator Brett Carroll.
So far, its been going pretty well for us, Carroll said, adding that the VA is pleased with the number of caregivers vaccinated.
Carroll said almost all VA healthcare workers who wanted to receive the vaccine have, totaling about 55% so far.
Weve had folks who have not wanted to receive it, Carroll said. Initially, when we first started, we had people that on Day 1 said no and the next week were asking if they could get scheduled. We continue to see that number grow.
He said the VA plans to start vaccinating more patients at a new clinic in Akron Monday.
I feel far more protected knowing I have this, [it] is like armor of protection around me, Uzomah said. I can do more to help the patients, residents, my colleagues.
The VA said it will proactively contact veterans enrolled in VA healthcare to schedule an appointment based on priority group.
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Governments and religious leaders in Muslim-majority nations are talking to vaccine makers, investigating production processes and issuing guidance in an effort to make sure concerns about products prohibited by Islam dont interfere with Covid-19 inoculations.
On Friday, the high clerical council in Indonesia, with the worlds largest Muslim population, said that Chinas Sinovac vaccine is allowed by Islam, or halal. The decision came after council representatives visited Sinovacs factory in China last year and conducted a halal audit.
Part of the challenge of rolling out vaccines world-wide will be persuading enough people to take them to reach herd immunity. In many countries, Muslim and non-Muslim, the efforts must overcome safety concerns, suspicions and conspiracy theories, as well as religious and ethical objections.
Gelatin taken from pigs and cells created using tissue from human fetuses, which are both common in vaccine production, arent halal, Muslim scholars say.
Acceptance of vaccinations before the coronavirus pandemic varied widely among Muslim countries, with high trust in countries like Bangladesh and Uzbekistan, according to a study of opinion in 149 countries published in September 2020 in the Lancet medical journal. It found that of the 10 countries with the most marked drop in confidence in vaccines over the four years through 2019, seven were predominantly Muslim: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria and Pakistan. The other three were Japan, Georgia and Serbia.
The inoculations were administered by a household doctor at Windsor Castle, a royal source said.
To prevent inaccuracies and further speculation, Her Majesty, who 94, decided that she would let it be known that she has had the vaccination, the source added. Her husband is 99 years old.
The UK has recorded more than 3 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 80,000 deaths, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University on Saturday.
The UK reported 1,325 coronavirus-related fatalities on Friday -- its highest ever daily increase in deaths.
In the capital, London's mayor declared a "major incident" on Friday, warning that hospitals in the city were close to being overrun.
"The situation in London is now critical with the spread of the virus out of control," Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement.
"The number of cases in London has increased rapidly with more than a third more patients being treated in our hospitals now compared to the peak of the pandemic last April.
"We are declaring a major incident because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point," Khan added. "If we do not take immediate action now, our [National Health Service] could be overwhelmed and more people will die."
CNN's Zamira Rahim and Amy Woodyatt contributed reporting.
If a clinic has a no-show for a vaccine appointment that extra dose cannot be saved for the following day. Doses expire quickly after they're thawed.
SEATTLE While only 24% of the state's COVID-19 vaccines have been administered, were hearing some clinics are put in a tough spot with thawed vaccines and tight timelines.
The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) said its not happening often, but in some cases, doses are being thrown out.
A tip was sent into KING 5 by an employee at a MultiCare facility.
They did not want to be part of the story, but said some doses of the vaccine were being thrown away at the end of the shifts because state guidelines made it hard to give doses to people who dont meet the 1A criteria.
Washington State Hospital Association CEO Cassie Sauer said if this happens, its only a few doses at a time.
If youre doing 500, 700 doses a day, to end up at the end of the day with three leftovers, you know, wed like there to be zero but thats a hard ratio to hit, Sauer said.
It has to do with the strict guidelines for storing COVID-19 vaccines to keep them effective. For example, each vial of the Moderna vaccines has 10 doses in it. If somebody doesnt show up for a scheduled appointment to get the vaccine, the clinic is left with an extra dose. And that dose cannot be saved for the following day because it expires quickly after its thawed.
Throwing vaccines away is terrible, giving someone an ineffective vaccine is worse. So, were trying to avoid all these problems, Sauer explained. We sought guidance from the Department of Health early on to say, 'What do you do in this circumstance?' And their guidance is to make every attempt not to waste a dose.
The governor recently expanded the states phase 1A of vaccine allocation. This has helped in preventing more doses from going to waste, Sauer said.
Before the governor expanded 1A we were interpreting that to mean, go to the engineering department, youve got three doses left, go to your engineering department and say, three of you come here now, we can vaccinate you right this minute. It also might mean finding patients who are in the 1B category.
The Department of Health sent this statement to KING 5 regarding the vaccine doses and ways to make sure they do not go to waste.
"We've seen a few cases of vaccine excursion, usually with it being out of temperature range. In those cases, they are referred to Moderna or Pfizer, and the manufacturer lets them know viability. There have also been a few cases when people didnt know to what to do with extra vaccine who to give vaccine to if they cant find a 1A person. Providers in that situation are asked to make a clinical judgment about who should receive the vaccine. One reason DOH expanded Phase 1A to add tier 2 was so that those who have vaccinated their tier 1 employees can begin vaccinating in tier 2."
MultiCare provided this statement to KING 5:
Every effort is made to ensure all doses are given and nothing is wasted from our vaccine allotment from the state. We minimize any vaccine waste by monitoring vaccine supplies against appointments scheduled, transferring doses to other sites as appropriate, and will be rolling out an on-call list to be utilized for any remaining open doses near the end of a clinics hours. We have been proud of the hard work and creative thinking our employees from nursing to logistics to information technology and more have shown as we undertake vaccine administration at this scale. We will no doubt have learnings along the way and need to make quick adjustments as we have throughout this pandemic but as a community health partner we are committed to doing the hard work to make as many vaccines available for our community as quickly and safely as possible.
I think to continue to have a backup list is probably the best plan, Sauer said, Were focusing on the big numbers to make sure that it all gets used. So, were making sure that 500 doses of Pfizer don't end up in the trash because theyre expired.
WSHA is working to facilitate the transfer of large amounts of vaccines from facilities that are having trouble administering them to other facilities that can administer them quickly, so they dont expire.
Were really concerned about making sure were moving any vaccine that is on the brink of, not even on the brink of expiration. We want to know two weeks in advance of when it could expire so what we can get that moved and get it used, she said.
Launched at the beginning of the pandemic, PFC is a local nonprofit made up of volunteers, engineers, and scientists. The organization started making PPE for health care workers, which led to a partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to provide free, COVID-19 testing now available at four city clinics.
WHOs Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE)has issued its policy recommendations for the rollout of the first COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
According to SAGE, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is safe and effective. Nevertheless, there are specific populations for whom vaccination is not recommended, either due to contraindications, lack of supply, or limited data. These populations currently include people with a history of severe allergies, most pregnant women, international travellers who are not part of a prioritized group, and children under 16.
The priority is to start vaccinating health workers at high risk of exposure, followed by older adults, before immunizing the rest of the population.
People with allergies
People with a history of severe allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine should not take it.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women
Pregnant women are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 than non-pregnant women, and COVID-19 has been associated with an increased risk of pre-term birth.
However due to insufficient data, WHO does not recommend the vaccination of pregnant women at this time.
In case a pregnant woman has an unavoidable risk high of exposure (e.g. a health worker), vaccination may be considered in discussion with their healthcare provider.
It is recommended to avoid pregnancy for 2 to 3 months post-vaccination.
If a breastfeeding woman is part of a group (e.g. health workers) recommended for vaccination, vaccination can be offered. WHO does not recommend discontinuing breastfeeding after vaccination.
Children
The vaccine has only been tested in children above 16 years of age.
Therefore, at this time, WHO does not recommend vaccination of children below 16 years of age, even if they belong to a high-risk group.
People with known medical conditions
The vaccine has been found to be safe and effective in people with various conditions that are associated with increased risk of severe disease.
This includes hypertension, diabetes, asthma, pulmonary, liver or kidney disease, as well as chronic infections that are stable and controlled.
Further studies are required for the impacts on immune-compromised persons. The interim recommendation is that immune-compromised persons who are part of a group recommended for vaccination may be vaccinated, though when possible, not before receiving information and counselling.
Persons living with HIV are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease. Limited safety data exists on HIV-infected persons with well controlled disease from the clinical trials. Known HIV-positive vaccine recipients should be informed, and when possible, counselled in relation to the available data.
People who have or had COVID-19 already
Vaccination can be offered to people who have had COVID-19 in the past.
But given the limited vaccine supply, individuals may wish to defer their own COVID-19 vaccination for up to 6 months from the time of SARS-CoV-2 infection. As more data becomes available on duration of immunity after infection, this time period may be adjusted.
Testing for prior infection is not recommended for the purpose of vaccine decision-making.
Travellers
At present, WHO does not support the introduction of requirements for proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for international travelers as a condition for exiting or entering a country or for travelling internationally. See WHOs interim guidance on international travel during the pandemic.
Dosage
A protective effect starts to develop 12 days after the first dose, but full protection requires two doses which WHO recommends be administered with a 21 to 28-day interval. Additional research is needed to understand longer-term potential protection after a single dose.
Vaccines will not end COVID-19 alone
Safe and effective vaccines will be a gamechanger: but for the foreseeable future we must continue to wear masks, physically distance, avoid crowds and apply other health measures. Being vaccinated doesn't mean that we can throw caution to the wind and put ourselves and others at risk, particularly because it is still not clear the degree to which the vaccines can protect not only against disease but also against infection and transmission.
What about other vaccines being developed to fight COVID-19
WHO does not usually make vaccine specific recommendations, issuing instead one recommendation that covers all vaccines for a given disease, unless the evidence suggests a different approach is required.
Due to the large variety of COVID-19 vaccines based on very different platform technologies, WHO is looking at vaccines as they are authorized by highly competent national regulatory authorities and that are available in sufficient supply to address the needs of many countries.
WHO has no preferred product, and the variety of products, including their specific attributes and handling requirements, allow for countries to find the products that are most suitable for their circumstances.
WHOs SAGE is expected to review other vaccines in the coming months.
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Oregon Health Authority Director Pat Allen said 500,000 people have already been prioritized in group 1a.
PORTLAND, Ore. Gov. Kate Brown and the director of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Patrick Allen, defended the states slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout to reporters Friday and said things will improve.
"OHA is working with health care providers, pharmacies, and local public health partners to make steady progress toward achieving our goal of 12,000 vaccines administered per day," said Brown.
According to federal and state data, Oregon is still one of the slowest states when it comes to the percentage of vaccines used. Brown and Allen said the process is going too slowly.
OHA is working with health care providers, pharmacies, and local public health partners to achieve that goal," Brown said. "For example, hospitals like OHSU, have stepped up to help vaccinate harder-to-reach front-line workers, such as our home health care workers, behavioral health and other local providers, and first responders."
500,000 healthcare workers in Oregons 1a category are first in line to get vaccinated. Brown said teachers will make up part of the group 1b.
Allen was asked in Fridays news conference about Oregons 27-member COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee. The committee will help the state decide on who else will be in group 1b.
The committee, made of people from marginalized and underrepresented communities, met for the first time on Thursday. It took an hour and a half to introduce themselves and no decisions were made on the status of who to officially include in the rest of groups 1b or 1c.
Allen was asked during the news conference why the committee didnt meet until now.
Weve already prioritized half a million Oregonians that were working our way through now in phase 1a and then moving on through education and early learning employees," he said. "Information about the vaccines at a detailed level has been in serious flux. We elected to do the advisory committee a little later so it could do its work based on better information."
Oregon Health Authority spokesman Jonathan Modie said in an email to KGW, in part:
"We need the input of these committee members to help us identify and properly communicate with communities they servecommunities that have been so hard hit by this pandemic and have sadly carried the burden of disease and death from COVID-19. We cannot and should not do that on our ownwe are not the experts on those communities; our community partners serving on the committee are, and thats why weve asked them for this commitment to be a part of the VAC."
Allen said the committee will recommend the rest of the priority groups by the end of January.
Do you have a story for Cristin? Email her atCallCristin@KGW.com.
