HOUSTON — There are a lot of questions about a COVID-19 vaccine now that we’re close to having them available. Both Moderna and Pfizer have requested emergency authorization and we should find out soon if they get it.
If they are approved, we have an idea of who will get vaccinated first, both from an advisory board at the CDC and priority groups as set forth by the state of Texas.
So the big question is – where is your place in line for the vaccine? The New York Times has come out with a calculator that estimates how many people you're behind, based on where you live, if you have COVID-19 risk factors, occupation and age.
YOUR SPOT IN LINE: Check the NYT calculator to see where you are in line
For instance, according to the calculator, if you’re a 45-year-old teacher in Montgomery County, Texas, with no risk factors for COVID-19, the calculator estimates you’re behind 135.7 million people in the country. But in Texas, there are only 11.6 million people ahead of you. In Montgomery County, you would be behind 203,100 others.
The calculator is just an estimate. They worked with the Surgo Foundation and Ariadrne Labs to develop the calculator.
The CDC made its recommendations for the rollout of the vaccine, but it’s up to each state to actually determine priorities for distribution. It's important to note that the final order hasn't been determined yet and state priorities could differ from CDC recommendations.
How well do the vaccines work?
There are 11 COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials happening right now in the United States.
Pfizer and Moderna are the furthest along. The FDA could approve Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine for emergency use as early as next week.
Dr. Alan Barrett is the director of the Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences at UTMB. He says the FDA is using symptoms as the benchmark for if COVID-19 vaccines are effective.
Pfizer and Moderna have reported their vaccines are 95% effective in preventing symptoms of COVID-19.
“It’s a great story. However, these vaccines were evaluated seven days after the second dose of the vaccine, so we know the vaccines elicit a really good immune response in people seven days after the second dose. We don’t know how long immunity is going to last,” Barrett said.