Oregon, Washington, and Nevada join California to vet COVID-19 vaccine

The states of Washington, Nevada, and Oregon said Tuesday they will work with California to evaluate any COVID-19 vaccine before offering it to the public. The review group will also examine plans for vaccine distribution. Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California formed a COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup to independently assess the safety and efficacy of any COVID-19 vaccine, once one is approved by FDA. Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon said, “The independent review conducted by this panel of doctors, scientists, and health experts will ensure that a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is available to everyone, especially communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this disease.” Meanwhile, a September Gallup poll found that only about one-half of Americans are willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, indicating that public trust in a vaccine fell from 60% to 50% in a single month. Public health experts believe that additional scrutiny of vaccines will help strengthen public trust. However, Saad Omar, MBBS, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Yale Institute of Global Health, is concerned about potential confusion if states implement different approaches regarding vaccines.