NORTH CAROLINA, USA — COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the United States as vaccines continue through their trials.
North Carolina state officials admit they don't yet have an exact vaccine timeline, but NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said we should know more in mid-December.
"Although vaccines were developed quickly over the course of this year, corners were not cut," said Cohen during a Thursday afternoon news conference.
Cohen is asking everyone to trust the process, as all eyes continue to be on the FDA.
Next week, it'll consider coronavirus vaccines, in the hopes of giving a stamp of approval for emergency use.
The ultra-low temperatures required to store the vaccines will be important, but the Forsyth County Health Department said that won't be a problem.
"What Pfizer and the federal level have done though as they actually are going to ship it in storage containers so we won't have to buy equipment or anything for the Pfizer candidate to receive that," said Forsyth County Health and Human Services Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Emily Watson.
She said those doses must be used within 20 days for them to work.
Moderna's version should come a week later. Watson said they already have the freezers to store them.
The next hurdle is getting the vaccine to as many people as possible.
If they don't, the deadly COVID-19 cycle won't break.
"Ultimately for this pandemic to end the numbers of new infections have to drop and the idea behind vaccinations is that by vaccinating folks you'll be eliminating the possibility of the virus finding new hosts," said Watson.
Like Dr. Cohen, Watson is hoping the public will keep the faith.
"If the FDA grants that emergency use authorization I have full faith and high confidence in that process because they're still paying that same attention to the safety and to the effectiveness," she said.
The FDA Advisory Cmmittee is set to meet next Thursday.
If it approves emergency use of the vaccine, it could start shipping across the country within 24 hours.