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

At the Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Thursday on meeting about a potential recommendation of an emergency use authorization of Moderna’s vaccine, officials discussed concerns over anaphylactic reactions to Pfizer's vaccine.

Dr. Doran Fink, deputy director-clinical of the Division of Vaccines and Related Products Applications at the FDA, highlighted the two cases of allergic reactions -- one of which was anaphylaxis -- in health workers in Alaska on Wednesday.

Last week, in the U.K., there were also two cases of anaphylaxis after the Pfizer vaccine was administered. As a result, prior to emergency authorization, the FDA clarified its guidance, saying it is safe for people with any history of allergies, but not for those who might have a known history of severe allergic reaction to any “ingredient” of the vaccine.

Fink said the FDA anticipates there may be more reports of allergic reactions to the vaccines, and they will be investigated as they occur.

The FDA is coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to further investigate cases in the U.S. The FDA is also working with Pfizer to further revise the fact sheets and prescribing information for the vaccine to highlight CDC guidelines for post-vaccination monitoring and management of allergic reactions.

Fink noted that this “revision will be in addition to the information already included in the contraindications and warnings, including the facilities where vaccines are being administered should ensure that medical treatment for managing serious allergic reactions is immediately available.”

Fink said the same recommendations will be done for the Moderna vaccine, if it is authorized for use under an EUA.

ABC News’ Anne Flaherty, Stephanie Ebbs, Sophie Tatum and Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.

In New Jersey, Wednesday night’s snowstorm has delayed some vaccine deliveries, Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday.

Murphy said he was “not aware of any place that was expecting it that won’t get it” because of the storm. “It just may be a little later than otherwise expected."

Based on early data, COVID-19 is now likely the leading cause of death in the U.S., ahead of heart disease and cancer, according to a research letter in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

The official death statistics will not be available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until next year.  

By October, “COVID-19 had become the third leading cause of death for persons aged 45 through 84 years and the second leading cause of death for those aged 85 years or older,” JAMA said. “Between November 1, 2020, and December 13, 2020, the 7-day moving average for daily COVID-19 deaths tripled, from 826 to 2430 deaths per day, and if this trend is unabated will soon surpass the daily rate observed at the height of the spring surge.”

The letter concluded, “The need for the entire population to take the disease seriously—notably to wear masks and maintain social distance—could not be more urgent.”

ABC News’ Sony Salzman and Shiela Beroukhim Afrahimi contributed to this report.

Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed Thursday that he still hasn't been inoculated with his country's COVID-19 vaccine because the shot is not yet permitted for people older than 60.

"For those like me, the vaccine hasn't reached us yet," Putin, 68, told reporters from the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow during his annual end-of-year press conference, which was held online due to the pandemic. "I am quite a law-abiding person, I listen to our specialists and so far haven't taken it."

However, Putin said he "definitely" will get the so-called Sputnik V vaccine once those over 60 are allowed to.

Russia controversially registered Sputnik V in August before starting crucial late-stage clinical trials, declaring itself the first country in the world to authorize a COVID-19 vaccine. The Russian government has said the trials so far show a vaccine efficacy of 91-95%.

Although key Phase 3 trials for Sputnik V are currently ongoing, the Russian government has already launched a mass vaccination program.

Putin told reporters that Russian scientists are looking into developing a "light" version of Sputnik V that would only require one dose instead of two, allowing for faster mass immunization. Putin noted the lighter version would be slightly less effective than the existing one but would produce antibodies faster.

"It will work quicker," he said. "The level of protection will be less, but all the same -- it'll get up to 85%."

ABC News' Patrick Reevell contributed to this report.