County Announces New Cases, Issues Info on Vaccine Race

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COURT HOUSE – Aug. 19: The County of Cape May Department of Health is reporting nine new positive cases among county residents and two new out-of-county positive cases that are included in the non-resident active cases listed below. The county is thankful to have zero new deaths to report today.
According to a release, New Jersey has 188,427 total COVID-19 positive cases and 14,097 deaths. Total positive cases of COVID-19 infection in Cape May County is now 1,057, including 84 deaths. 
U.S. Government Engages Pfizer to Produce Millions of Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced in July an agreement with U.S.-based Pfizer, Inc. for large-scale production and nationwide delivery of 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States following the vaccine’s successful manufacture and approval. The agreement also allows the U.S. government to acquire an additional 500 million doses.
The federal government will own the 100 million doses of vaccine initially produced as a result of this agreement, and Pfizer will deliver the doses in the United States if the product receives Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or licensure from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as outlined in FDA guidance, after completing demonstration of safety and efficacy in a large Phase 3 clinical trial.
The U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed goal to begin delivering 300 million of doses of safe and effective vaccine to the American people by the end of the year.
“Through Operation Warp Speed, we are assembling a portfolio of vaccines to increase the odds that the American people will have at least one safe, effective vaccine as soon as the end of this year,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “Depending on success in clinical trials, today’s agreement will enable the delivery of approximately 100 million doses of vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.”
The company would begin nationwide delivery of these vaccine doses to locations at the U.S. government’s direction beginning in the fourth quarter of 2020. The vaccine would be available to the American people at no cost. As is customary with government-purchased vaccines, healthcare professionals could charge insurers for the cost of administering the vaccine.
Pfizer is collaborating with BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, to develop COVID-19 investigational vaccines without U.S. government financial support. Phase 1/2 clinical trials are underway for the investigational vaccines in the United States and Germany.