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The first injections of a massive COVID-19 vaccine campaign in the U.S. will be administered on Monday, and Pfizer Inc. and its partners are aiming to begin shipments across the affected country on Sunday, said an Army general who organized the launching.
Healthcare workers and seniors in long-term care facilities are expected to be the main recipients of the first wave of 2.9 million vaccines this month, with healthcare workers vaccinating on Monday and Nursing home residents late next week, US Army Gen. Gustave Perna said in a press call on Saturday.
Despite months of preparation, the distribution and administration of the vaccine to up to 330 million recipients represents a great logistical challenge, he said. The vaccine has complex shipping requirements and must be stored at -70 degrees Celsius.
“We have a lot of work to do. We are not taking a victory lap. We know the road ahead will be difficult,” said Perna.
Pfizer’s vaccine was cleared for use by US regulators on Friday. Cases are increasing in the United States, with thousands of deaths per day, while hospital intensive care units across the country are close to capacity. More than 295,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.
Doses of the vaccine from US-based Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will be delivered Monday to 145 locations across the country, Perna said.
The remainder of the 636 delivery locations selected by US states and territories will receive doses on Tuesday and Wednesday, he said, adding that each week in the future, Pfizer will have more doses ready for distribution and administration.
In three weeks, the vaccine program known as Operation Warp Speed should be able to bring Pfizer vaccines to any healthcare facility in the country, Perna said.
Pfizer is working with logistics companies United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. to distribute the vaccines. They must coordinate dose deliveries with shipments of other products needed to store and administer vaccines, such as syringes, dry ice, and protective equipment for healthcare workers.
“The last mile is going to be the hardest. Once it gets to the hospital or nursing home, they also have to keep the vaccine under temperature control, ”said Cathy Morrow Roberson, logistics consultant and former UPS analyst.
“This huge clock is ticking, there is no room for error,” he added.
More US residents will be eligible in January, when those in the highest priority populations are expected to have had the opportunity to receive a vaccine.
With distribution imminent, major regulators tried to assure Americans that the record fast pace was guaranteed and had not sacrificed safety.
“We are working quickly based on the urgency of this pandemic, not any other external pressure,” said US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn during a news conference earlier that day.
The United States on Friday night granted an emergency use authorization for the vaccine for people over 16 years of age. Immunization was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 in a late-stage trial.
It is the first COVID-19 vaccine licensed in the United States. Britain, Canada and three other countries have already licensed the vaccine.
The Trump administration has invested billions of dollars in vaccine development and will manage distribution and allocation to states. Officials have said general availability of the vaccine is expected in April.
An advisory group from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted Saturday to recommend the vaccine for patients 16 and older.
The FDA said the vaccine is safe for most Americans with allergies despite reports of serious adverse reactions in the UK in two patients who had a history of severe allergies. – Michael Erman and Carl O’Donnell / Reuters
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