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The first trucks carrying a Covid-19 vaccine for widespread use in the United States were due to be recalled from a Michigan manufacturing plant on Sunday, and the injections that are critical to stopping the nation’s coronavirus outbreak are destined to reach the states a day later.
The Pfizer vaccine shipments will launch the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history at a critical juncture in the pandemic that has killed 1.6 million and sickened 71 million worldwide.
Initially, around 3 million doses were expected to ship, with healthcare workers and nursing home residents taking priority as infections, hospitalizations, and deaths rise in the U.S. With the numbers showing Likely to get worse over the holidays, the vaccine offers a boost in the fight against the pandemic that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.
Paul Sancya / AP
The Pfizer vaccine shipments will launch the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history at a critical juncture in the pandemic that has killed 1.6 million and sickened 71 million worldwide.
Federal officials say the first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine will be staggered and will reach 145 distribution centers on Monday, with an additional 425 sites receiving shipments on Tuesday and the remaining 66 on Wednesday. The vaccine, jointly developed by German partner BioNTech, is distributed based on the adult population of each state.
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Pennsylvania healthcare giant UPMC has chosen the staff who are critical to the operation of its facility from among those who receive the first round of vaccines, said Dr. Graham Snyder, who led the Vaccine Task Force of the centers.
“It is very exciting. I will be excited that moment when we administer our first dose,” Snyder said Saturday. “That will clearly be a watershed moment for us.”
Snyder said the UPMC system estimates that half of its employees are willing to receive the vaccine as soon as it is offered.
Paul Sancya / AP
The vaccine is directed to hospitals and other sites that can store it at extremely low temperatures.
The vaccine is going to hospitals and other sites that can store it in extremely low temperatures, around 94 degrees below zero. Pfizer is using dry ice containers and GPS sensors to ensure each shipment stays colder than the weather in Antarctica.
Doses must be delivered to all state-identified vaccination sites, such as local pharmacies, within three weeks, federal authorities said.
The Oschner Health System of 40 hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi expects to receive more than 9,000 doses in the next few days, said Sandra Kemmerly, medical director of hospital quality.
Paul Sancya / AP
The United States gave the final go-ahead to the country’s first COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, which could be the beginning of the end of an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.
Employees approved for the first round receive text messages and emails telling them to schedule their initial injection, he said.
“I would say there is enthusiasm,” Kemmerly said Saturday. “There’s the idea that maybe they don’t have to be so scared to come to work if they can get vaccinated and be immune.”
The launch will ensure that there is enough vaccine to give people the two doses necessary for full protection against Covid-19. That means the government is withholding 3 million doses to give those vaccinated in the first round a second injection a few weeks later.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the vaccine on Friday, saying it is highly protective and does not present major safety concerns. While US regulators worked for months to emphasize the rigor and independence of their review, they faced political pressure until the final stages.
Concerns that an injection will be rushed could undermine vaccination efforts in a country with deep-seated skepticism about vaccines. The FDA chief said the agency’s decision was based on science, not politics, despite the White House’s threat to fire him if the vaccine is not approved by Saturday.
While the vaccine was determined to be safe, UK regulators are investigating several serious allergic reactions. FDA instructions tell suppliers not to provide it to people with a known history of serious allergic reactions to any of its ingredients.
