COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a public statement Friday that the company won't have data showing that the vaccine is safe before the third week of November at the earliest.

A vaccine will only work if a lot of people can get immunized. State health officials are working furiously to design outreach and distribution plans, with little clarity from the federal government.

Here's irony: tobacco plants may be key in preventing COVID-19. Two companies are using the plants to produce proteins for a vaccine. One candidate vaccine is already in a clinical trial.

Pediatricians have been asking policy makers to include children in COVID-19 vaccine trials. Now, the FDA has given Pfizer approval to enroll adolescents as young as 12 years old.

Members of Congress and advocacy groups say Operation Warp Speed should release its contracts with vaccine makers after NPR reporting found the terms of many aren't public.

The Chinese foreign ministry said it took this step "to uphold the concept of a shared community of health for all and to honor its commitment to turn COVID-19 vaccines into a global public good."

The requirements laid out by the Food and Drug Administration in advice for drugmakers underscore why it's unlikely a vaccine could clear the agency before Election Day.

More than $6 billion in federal funding has been routed through a firm that manages defense contracts, making the agreements subject to less federal scrutiny and transparency.

Volunteers getting the shot help determine if a candidate vaccine works. But what with social distancing and masks, scientists must discern if it's the shot or these other measures preventing illness.

A CDC advisory committee is debating this issue Tuesday. Half of U.S. adults could be considered high priority, yet the initial supply is likely to be only enough for 3% to 5% of the population.

The company had placed its worldwide vaccine trials on hold for several days. It now says a safety review by regulators and reviewers is complete. No word on when studies in the U.S. might resume.

Scientists are racing to develop a vaccine that proves "safe and effective." It may not prevent infection in everyone who gets it, but it still could eventually stop the pandemic. Here's how.