Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to give credit to a second writer who co-wrote the article. 

As COVID-19 continues to ravage the nation, vaccines to combat the disease are starting to be rolled out. In the past few days, conferences have been given by generals telling the public about an efficient military-style distribution. However, that doesn’t mean that the entire population will be vaccinated in a quick and orderly fashion. Due to vaccines being scarce early on, priority will be given to healthcare workers and patients of long-term healthcare facilities such as nursing homes. Afterward, the vaccines are expected to go to essential workers, numbering at about 87 million before later moving onto the 100 million people with high-risk medical conditions. By the end of the year, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar estimates that around 20 million vaccines will have been distributed. 

On Dec. 8, the FDA review confirmed the safety and results of the Pfizer vaccine, marking the first vaccine to combat COVID-19 being developed. On Dec. 11, the FDA granted emergency use authorization to Pfizer and BioNTech and is expected in the coming days to do the same for Moderna.

Although there has been concern that party conflicts would lead to unequal distribution of vaccines, it is not likely that will be an issue. Party polarization might be on the rise, but for the sake of both the lives of our fellow humans and their livelihoods, everyone agrees we need to get past COVID-19. 

For more updates on the COVID-19 vaccine worldwide, read here.

To learn more about Pennsylvania-specific vaccine updates, read here.