COVID-19 Vaccine Progress and Education


Key Points:

Recommendations for Industry

Vaccine Progress and Education

COVID-19 vaccinations are continuing with an average of just over 63 million people fully vaccinated in the U.S. – with a fairly even spread across the states of just under 6% of the populations.

With each state setting its own plan for distribution, businesses should keep an eye on the priorities set by their local and  state health departments to determine when a vaccine is available for your essential workers, and get in line as soon as possible.

With FDA scheduled to discuss the request for emergency use authorization (EUA) for the single-dose COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Biotech on February 26, vaccines may become more available more quickly if the EUA is approved. (TAG will be keeping an eye on this and will provide updated information as it becomes available.)

As you prepare for vaccine availability, it also is critical that you provide accurate, balanced education for your workforce on the vaccines. This is one of the most important things the food industry can do to help encourage those who are hesitant and counter the misinformation that is spread.

If you need assistance with this, give us a call – TAG has developed vaccine-education videos and conducted presentations and can assist your company as well.

In Case You Missed It

  • In Friday’s Recommendations for Industry, we discussed the continued need for mask wearing in offices.
  • FDA and HHS have reiterated that there is no current epidemiologic and scientific information of food or food packaging as associated with or being a likely source of viral transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causing COVID-19. Thus, despite some media reports out of China, there is no credible evidence of COVID-19 transmission through food or food packaging that the virus is not spreading through food
  • In two letters published in the New England Journal of Medicine, CIDRAP reported that both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective against the B1351 variant first identified in South Africa. However, the Moderna vaccine seems to offer good proection against the B117 variant first identified in the United Kingdom.
  • A new New England Journal of Medicine letter finds that the Pfizer vaccine is effective up to 92.6% after the first dose!
  • Two studies have identified that: (A) consuming high doses of zinc and vitamin C will not improve mild COVID-19 infections (it won’t make you get better faster); and (B) a single dose of Vitamin D does not significantly effect moderate to sever COVID-19 infections. Continue to be cognizant of supplemental claims that claim to improve and heal COVID-19.
  • A CDC Emerging Infectious Disease report finds that risk mitigation measures (including universal masking policies and installing physical barriers at facilities) instilled at meat poultry processing plants (that were deeply affected by the COVID-19 spread), signifincaltly reduced the incindence of COVID-19 in <10 days.
  • Cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), resulting from COVID-19, are increasing at a striking rate.
  • In Monday’s Recommendations for Industry, we discussed COVID-19 variants identified around the world continuing to raise questions, those studied appear to be variations in the spike protein. Read More.