The key factors that determine how year 2 of COVID will go
READ: Michigan residents 50+ with chronic conditions now eligible to receive COVID vaccineHowever, there are several key factors that could determine the path the next year could take. More U.S. residents are getting vaccinated at the rate of about 2 million doses daily. If this continues, 70% of the U.S. population could be fully vaccinated by the end of July and 85% by mid-September. โYou want to do it gradually and see what the effects are.โREAD: 1 year into COVID: What we wish weโd knownOther factors include how long the vaccineโs protection will last and if there are variants that current vaccines wonโt be effective against. Vaccine trials are underway in older children, but a vaccine likely wonโt be authorized until the fall at the earliest for those 12+.
1 year into COVID: What we wish weโd known
The first confirmed coronavirus cases in Michigan were announced March 10, 2020. READ: First 2 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Michigan: What we know, donโt knowIn the last 365 days, Michigan has seen nearly 600,000 confirmed cases and 16,000 COVID-related deaths. READ: 1 year into COVID, what would you go back and tell yourself? Experts estimate that about half of all COVID cases are spread by people who are asymptomatic or presymptomatic. Most expects expected COVID to subside as the we entered warmer weather, but instead there were summer surges in many parts of the country.
University of Michigan epidemiologist leads FDA COVID vaccine advisory committee
ANN ARBOR, Mich. โ Pfizer and BioNTech submitted their COVID-19 vaccine to the FDA to be considered for an emergency-use authorization Friday. In 2018, he showed Local 4 his โFlu Labโ at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Monto will lead the committee that will advise the FDA on whether or not to grant an emergency-use authorization for any coronavirus vaccines. RELATED: Local 4 assignment editor shares experience with COVID-19 vaccine trialThe FDA is not required to follow the recommendation of its advisory committee, but it typically does. โItโs an intellectual pressure, not a political pressure,โ Monto said.