People over 75, front-line essential workers should get vaccine next, CDC panel says

The United States is on the cusp of a second vaccine for COVID-19, with a key Food and Drug Administration panel set to review data Thursday from Moderna that suggests its two-dose vaccine is safe and 94% effective.

An endorsement from the independent federal advisers would pave the way for an official green light by the FDA to begin distributing next week some 5.9 million Moderna doses to the nation’s front-line health care workers and nursing home residents. An internal assessment by the FDA already found that the Moderna data show the benefits likely outweigh the risks.

The Moderna batch would be in addition to the 6.4 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that started to roll out this week after being the first to get emergency-use authorization.

One primary difference is that the Modern vaccine requires fewer specific handling instructions because it does not need ultra-cold storage conditions like the Pfizer/BioNTech one.

Moderna also is seeking authorization to use its vaccine on people ages 18 and older, whereas Pfizer’s enrollment of older teens in clinical trials this fall paved the way for authorization of anyone 16 and older.

ABC News' Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.

Brigitte Macron, the 67-year-old wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, is self-isolating and will be tested for COVID-19 soon, although she is not showing any symptoms, her office said in a statement Thursday.

France's presidential palace had announced earlier that Emmanuel Macron, 42, tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating.

"Brigitte Macron is a contact case and has no symptoms of the disease," her office said. "She also tested negative for Covid-19 on Tuesday, December 15, before making a visit to a pediatric ward at Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris. She has placed herself in isolation and will continue her work by videoconference. She will be tested very soon as a precaution."

ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud contributed to this report.

French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Elysee Palace, the official residence of the president of France, announced Macron's diagnosis in a statement Thursday morning.

"This diagnosis was established following an RTPCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms," the palace said.

Macron, 42, will self-isolate for seven days in accordance with public health instructions.

"He will continue to work and carry out his activities remotely," the palace said.

With more than 2.4 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19, France has the fifth-highest tally in the world, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud contributed to this report.

There were 113,069 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 across the United States on Wednesday, according to data compiled by The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the U.S. outbreak.

It's the highest number of current COVID-19 hospitalizations that the U.S. has logged since the start of the pandemic.