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NEW YORK – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for $30 billion in federal funds to help distribute a COVID-19 vaccine, this as another major pharmaceutical company plans to apply for emergency use of its dose.
The Democrat says that New York State alone would need “hundreds of millions” for distribution and education.
On Monday, Moderna announced it plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration to review data showing the vaccine is roughly 94-percent effective at preventing COVID-19.
The same data indicates it’s 100 percent effective at preventing severe cases.
“This should be a moment of clarity for everyone,” Schumer, who represents New York State, told reporters in a brief press conference on Sunday. “This is a huge crisis and we need big relief.”
One other company, Pfizer, has already applied for vaccine authorization, with efficacy data similar to Moderna’s.
The FDA will review both applications with its advisory committee in December.
Doctor Anthony Fauci, the nation’s foremost infectious disease expert, says the first vaccinations in the U.S. are expected to happen towards late December.
Moderna expects to have roughly 20 million doses of its vaccine available in the U.S. by the end of 2020.
The company says it’s on track to produce 500 million to one billion doses globally next year.
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