Upon approval, 36,000 doses expected to arrive in Hawai‘i in December
HONOLULU – Hawai‘i State Director of Health Dr. Elizabeth Char released the following statement following an important committee recommendation that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration grant Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine:
“Today’s vote will likely lead to the FDA authorizing a second vaccine to help safeguard our community,” said Dr. Char. “It was vitally important for this committee of scientists and clinicians to complete an in-depth review of this vaccine. That review involved a clinical trial of more than 30,000 people. It gives us confidence about the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. Due to its storage requirements, this vaccine is easier to ship and store than the vaccine already in use.”
The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Committee (VRBAC) voted 20 to 0 in favor of recommending authorization of the Moderna vaccine, with one abstention.
The FDA will review the committee’s recommendation and decide whether to grant Emergency Use Authorization. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will then provide guidance on who can be vaccinated. ACIP guidance is expected in the coming days.
If the Moderna vaccine is granted authorization, both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines will be distributed to all four counties.
Essential health care workers will be vaccinated at Points of Dispensing (PODs) across the state. Vaccinations will be administered at long-term care facilities through a federal partnership with Walgreens and CVS.
Today’s news follows the arrival of additional doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which were distributed to healthcare facilities across O‘ahu to be shared with their network of facilities including those on the neighbor islands. Together, more than 81,000 doses of both vaccines are expected to arrive in Hawai‘i this month alone.
# # #
PDF: FDA panel recommends granting Emergency Use Authorization of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
Denby Fawcett: Why So Few People Are Getting The New Covid Shot
Experts are worried about the lack of interest as people are still suffering from the virus and long Covid. By Denby Fawcett Original article on Civil Beat, November 7, 2023 I keep a card in my [...]
Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 ends on May 11, 2023
HONOLULU, HI –The federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, will expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023. As the PHE [...]
Seniors now eligible for additional COVID-19 bivalent booster dose, COVID vaccine recommendations simplified
HONOLULU, HI – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) supports the latest recommendations announced yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), allowing an additional dose of the bivalent booster against the virus [...]
Hawai‘i COVID-19 hospitalizations on the rise
HONOLULU, HI – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) reports a rise in the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations. The number of total positive COVID-19 hospitalizations has increased over the past week (3/26 – 4/4) from [...]
Wastewater Samples Show Higher COVID Concentrations & New Subvariant
The Hawai‘i State Department of Health’s most recent Wastewater Surveillance Report documents two significant developments about COVID-19 in Hawai‛i. Higher concentrations of the virus that causes COVID-19 The arrival of the XBB.1.5 subvariant Higher concentrations [...]
Bivalent boosters for keiki as young as 6 months
Updated COVID-19 bivalent boosters are now available in all counties for keiki as young as six months of age. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorization for the bivalent boosters [...]