Executive Summary

CDC officials designing distribution plans worry some eligible for vaccination may wait for a better product to emerge.

Federal officials are now confronting another challenge for the uptake of a potential coronavirus vaccine – patient warehousing – along with waning public confidence in product safety and efficacy.

Vaccine experts on Thursday rigorously debated the Food and Drug Administration’s planned standards for clearing a coronavirus vaccine quickly for broad use, discussing what level of evidence would be sufficient to establish safety and effectiveness.

The Food and Drug Administration is preparing for the eventual rollout of one or more COVID-19 vaccines — by identifying the concerns that some people have about taking such a vaccine.

At a meeting Thursday of experts advising the FDA on COVID-19 vaccines, the concerns of front-line workers and people of color were read aloud verbatim, highlighting the crucial project of communicating the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine in an environment of deep political distrust.

Dive Brief:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not back mandates that healthcare workers or other essential employees receive COVID-19 vaccines, with a CDC official stating Thursday the agency would prefer instead to "build trust and confidence" in the vaccine candidates.
• Along with state and local governments, the CDC is preparing for a national vaccination program and, as part of that plan, is rolling out a marketing campaign that aims to address worries over vaccine safety.

Any coronavirus vaccine that could be authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) faces several additional hurdles after completing the final stage of clinical trials.

That was the theme of key issues addressed today by the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee — which includes a group of health and science experts who advise the regulatory agency on the best way to approach the path forward for a COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccine safety, dueling efficacy standards, and representation of groups from racial and ethnic minorities to children drew focus Thursday at arguably the most watched FDA advisory committee meeting ever.

In less than a year, scientists around the world have rallied against COVID-19 and developed promising vaccines that could stem the pandemic. Concerns remain, however, and, against this backdrop, senior government experts took over Thursday to discuss vaccine safety and efficacy requirements, distribution plans and confidence.

It's up to the Food and Drug Administration to decide whether a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective enough for public distribution. Today, the agency convened a group of independent experts to offer advice on the way forward. NPR science correspondent Joe Palca has been listening in on that meeting, and he joins us now to talk about it. Hi, Joe.

JOE PALCA, BYLINE: Hi, Ari.

SHAPIRO: So I understand these committees are usually asked to provide advice about a specific product, but that's not the case with today's meeting. Explain what's happening.

The much-anticipated, nine-hour initial public meeting of FDA’s advisory committee on vaccines broached diversity in clinical trials, when placebo patients should get the real thing and how to counteract sinking public confidence in the government and vaccines.

This was the first of what will be a string of Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meetings, with future ones centered on specific shots.

Here are the highlights:

The most widely anticipated and perhaps most widely watched meeting in the FDA’s 113-year history ended late Thursday night with a score of questions and very few answers.

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