Vaccine nears final OK as local counties still at high risk

On Thursday, a government panel endorsed the widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine as local counties continuing to be under the highest risks in the state.

Depending on how quickly the Food and Drug Administration signs off on the vaccine, shots could begin in days.

Pfizer has said it will have about 25 million doses of the two-shot vaccine for the U.S. by the end of December. But the initial supplies will be reserved primarily for health care workers and nursing home residents, with other vulnerable groups next in line until ramped-up production enables shots to become widely available on demand — something that will probably not happen until the spring.

Next week, the FDA will review a second vaccine, from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, that appears about as protective as Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot. A third candidate, from Johnson & Johnson, which would require just one dose, is working its way through the pipeline. Behind that is a candidate from AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

U.S. health experts are hoping a combination of vaccines will ultimately enable the U.S. to conquer the outbreak.

Still, experts estimate at least 70% of the U.S. population will have to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, the point at which the virus can be held in check. That means it could be several months before things start to get back to normal and Americans can put away their masks.

Meanwhile, the virus continues to spread locally, with both Scott County and Cape Girardeau County in the extreme risk category as set forth by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The Scott County Health Department reported two additional deaths Thursday with one person was in their 70s while the other in their 90s. To date there have been 48 deaths in the county related to COVID-19.

The Scott County Health Department reported 32 new positive cases Thursday along with 28 recoveries. There are 787 active cases in the county with 2,330 recovered.

The number of active cases in Cape Girardeau County increased by 16 to 1,452 while 83 recovered Thursday. Currently there have been 89 deaths.

Other local counties are deemed critical risk by the state, including Mississippi, New Madrid, Stoddard, Pemiscot and Dunklin.

The New Madrid County Health Department last reported 61 active cases with 1,550 out of quarantine and 28 deaths.

The Stoddard County Public Center reported 24 new cases Thursday. To date, there are 141 active cases with 2,194 recoveries. There have been 54 deaths.

Pemiscot County reported 61 active cases Thursday afternoon, two fewer than Wednesday. Sixteen residents are hospitalized while 24 have died related to the virus. There has been 1,262 recoveries.

There were 95 active cases in Dunklin County Thursday afternoon, seven more than reported on Wednesday. There has been 18 deaths and 2,255 recoveries.

No current numbers have been released from Mississippi County as of Friday morning.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.