In the past 24 hours, the CDC has come out with new recommendations on how long a person exposed to COVID-19 should now quarantine and who should get the first vaccines.
While officials say 14-day quarantines are still the best way to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, the CDC now says allowing quarantines to end after 10 days for those exposed who have no symptoms, but have not taken a COVID-19 test, or ending after seven days for a person exposed but has no symptoms and a negative test is okay.
This comes as we get closer to a COVID-19 vaccine. Tens of thousands of people in the UK will begin receiving the Pfizer/BioTech vaccine starting next week after the UK became the first western county to authorize use of the vaccine on Tuesday.
"We've spent months preparing for this day so that as soon as we got the green light, we'd be ready to go," said Matt Hancock, UN Health Secretary.
In the United States, a CDC vaccine advisory committee recommends healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents will be the first to receive the vaccine during the first phase of distribution.
"The next groups that we have scheduled for discussion are essential workers those workers that keep our society going and that includes postal workers, individuals in meatpacking plants, grocers, things like that," said Dr. Jose Romero, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Other groups being considered are those 65 and older and people with underlying conditions who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
In the United States, the first shipments of Pfizer's vaccine are set to be delivered on December 15. Moderna's vaccine is set to go out on December 22, pending FDA approval, according to an Operation Warp Speed document.
