[ad_1]
The outgoing president of the United States, Donald Trump announced this Friday that the Pfizer vaccine has begun to be distributed throughout the country and that the first dose will be administered within the next 24 hours.
“Through our alliance with Fedex and UPS, we have already started shipping the vaccine to every state and zip code in the country; the first vaccine will be administered in less than 24 hours“Trump announced in a speech from the Oval Office.
(In context: FDA authorizes Pfizer vaccine against covid-19 in the United States).
Trump made this announcement minutes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the body that regulates the marketing of drugs, will authorize the use of the vaccine against covid-19 from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
This emergency authorization (an exceptional process prior to approval) was signed by the FDA this Friday night, hours after The White House warned the agency’s director, Stephen Hahn, that he could prepare his resignation if he did not process it today.
In his speech, Trump explained that “Governors decide where vaccines go in their states and who will get them first”.
“We want – he added – that our elderly, health and emergency workers are the first. That will quickly and dramatically reduce deaths and hospitalizations.”
(Of your interest: Covid-19 vaccines: perspectives in Colombia).
“When the virus from China invaded our coasts, I promised that we would produce a vaccine in record time before the end of the year, they said it could not be done, but with today’s announcement we have achieved that goal,” he said.
The vaccines that Trump announced are being distributed throughout the country are part of the first batch with 2.9 million doses that the officials in charge of the delivery operation assured that they could be sent in the first 24 hours after authorization.
Pfizer has also promised 25 million doses before the end of the year (each vaccinated needs two doses) and the 100 million acquired by the Trump government in exchange for 1.95 billion dollars when March arrives.
(Keep reading: AstraZeneca and Russia will join their vaccines).
Pfizer’s vaccine comes at the worst moment of the pandemic to The United States, which averages more than 200,000 infections a day and this week has broken the barrier of 3,000 deaths in a period of 24 hours. The most recent data indicates that there are 15,834,965 infections and 294,874 deaths from covid-19, more than in any other country, according to the independent count from Johns Hopkins University.
EFE
