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The U.S. may not need AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine

23 March 2021
 Dan Ackermann

Public health experts are divided over whether the U.S. should add AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine to its arsenal, or let the rest of the world have it.

Why it matters: By the time the AstraZeneca vaccine is authorized for distribution, the U.S. may already have more than enough supply. Meanwhile, most of the world is still waiting for shots.

What we're watching: It will take another monthor so for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be available for use in the U.S., following the company's announcement yesterday that the two-dose regimen was 79% effective at preventing symptomatic illness.

  • “The gap between supply and demand is closing considerably, and I think by the time we get to May, that gap will be closed," NIAID Director Anthony Fauci said.
  • "At most, you’ll get a small percentage of Americans vaccinated with AstraZeneca, and it won’t speed up vaccinations, because by May, supply will not be the constraint," said Ashish Jha, the dean of public health at Brown University.

The other side: Angela Rasmussen, a virologist with Georgetown's Center for Global Health Science and Security, said she thinks the AstraZeneca vaccine will be useful in rural parts of the country where cold storage is a challenge.

The big picture: Monday's announcement is good news for the rest of the world, which is relying heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine.

  • Previous clinical trial data has been messy, and confidence in the vaccine may have been eroded recently by unsubstantiated concerns that it causes blood clots.
  • The higher-than-expected efficacy avoids a “two tiered system," Jha said, in which less developed countries would receive a mediocre vaccine.
  • And a stamp of approval from the Food and Drug Administration could help rebuild global trust in the vaccine.

Go deeper: Biden's next challenge: Vaccine diplomacy

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly 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.