Biden to release all available COVID-19 vaccine doses to the public
08 January 2021
President-elect Joe Biden plans to release all available coronavirus vaccine doses when he takes office, CNN reports.
Why it matters: Releasing all doses would allow more people to get vaccinated with at least one dose. Both the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech require two doses, but studies show that releasing the vaccine onhand instead of withholding it to guarantee second doses is more effective at reducing the number of COVID-19 cases, per CNN.
- However, the FDA said people need two doses and dismissed the idea that doses be spread out.
What they're saying: "The President-elect believes we must accelerate distribution of the vaccine while continuing to ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible," TJ Ducklo, a spokesperson for Biden's transition, told CNN.
- "He supports releasing available doses immediately, and believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans' arms now."
- "He will share additional details next week on how his Administration will begin releasing available doses when he assumes office on January 20th."
The big picture: The U.S. failed to meet its goal of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of December. As of Friday, 5.9 million people have received at least the initial vaccine dose, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- More than 21.4 million doses have been released to the states, roughly half the number the U.S. has on hand, per the New York Times.
- Several governors sent a letter to Operation Warp Speed leaders demanding that "reserved doses" be distributed to states in need.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.