Confusion spreads over system to determine priority access to Covid-19 vaccines

Discussions about who ought to first get a Covid-19 vaccine when one becomes available are being held in parallel with global efforts to develop the vaccine. But a new expert panel convened by the National Academy of Medicine is already at odds with the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which usually makes vaccine recommendations. And both these groups also have to contend with the government's Operation Warp Speed, which has also claimed authority over deciding how a Covid-19 vaccine ought to be distributed. Experts are concerned that multiple players thinking through vaccination priorities will sow confusion. “It seems to me like we’ve just assigned four different air traffic control towers to land the same plane,” infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm tells STAT's Helen Branswell. Read more here.

Here's what else is new with the pandemic:

The number of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. could be up to 24 times higher than what's been reported thus far, according to new CDC data. In seven of the 10 sites that were included in the study — which looked at blood samples and could therefore capture those who had previously been infected — the estimated number of cases was tenfold higher than what has been recorded.
The public health group Resolve to Save Lives is calling on states and communities to start collecting and sharing Covid-19 data in a more standardized way in an effort to get a better sense of how the pandemic response is shaping up in their individual communities. The group is emphasizing data sharing across 15 metrics, including new and confirmed Covid-19 cases as well as the percentage of hospital beds occupied by Covid-19 patients.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest and others sent letters to the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission to take action against Joseph Mercola, a physician and naturopath who has recently made claims that vitamin C and other nutritional supplements could help fight Covid-19. On his website and on his podcast, Mercola has also touted the use of melatonin, molecular hydrogen, and zinc for Covid-19, the letters state, adding, "... Dr. Mercola’s self-serving and unsupported theory is extremely dangerous to consumers, as well as an illegal disease treatment claim.”
A new WebMD poll suggests that adults ages 25-34 are more worried about the Covid-19 pandemic than any other age group, followed by those under the age of 25. At the same time, those who are 65 and older were most likely to express concern about getting infected. Fewer people overall expressed concern about accessing basic household items such as food in the new poll compared to a similar poll conducted when the pandemic first hit.