UPDATE: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has voted to recommend the Pfizer and BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.
The vaccine is approved for people age 16 and older.
The next step requires the CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield to accept the committee's recommendation, in order for vaccines to be approved for administration to individuals.
(CNN contributed to this report.)
British regulators are looking into reports of allergic reactions from the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, Canada's Health Department gave emergency approval on Wednesday. The FDA is set to meet Thursday to determine whether to do the same.
"The vaccine that's sort of the light at the end of the tunnel. We are holding on to that this pandemic may be coming to an end, " said Saint Mary's Critical Care Director Dr. Trent Foust. He has positive news regarding the pandemic. Just one week after the governor announced that medical personnel will be first to receive COVID vaccines, the hospital is already in action.
"A plan is going in place now for getting the vaccine allocations that we receive to be able to administer it to our staff appropriately," said Dr. Foust. Distribution of course depends on FDA Emergency Approval of Pfizer's Coronavirus vaccine. That vaccine is the first to make it through the process.
In a document obtained by CBS News, officials with the U.S. vaccine effort, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, say they are targeting December 14th as the date of approval. The vaccine is expected to be shipped out within 24 hours after approval. "We're using the same standard that we would for how well the vaccine works. The only thing that is different, is that we're moving a little faster because of the raging outbreak," said FDA Advisory Committee on Vaccines Acting Chairman Dr. Arnold Monto.
Until that point, health professionals will have to continue to hold onto hope, and take whatever precautions they can to protect themselves and the loved ones they come in contact with. "Almost on a daily basis, our nurses are putting their own health at risk by caring for these patients. It's something that we take very seriously whether they are symptomatic, non-symptomatic, or exposed to the virus," said Dr. Faust.
Nevada is expected to receive more than 91,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine after it's approved by the FDA. Over 72,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine are also expected this month. A meeting for that vaccine's FDA Emergency Approval is expected next week.
