WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has announced that shipments of a second coronavirus vaccine will begin this week, with nearly 8 million doses of the two jointly approved vaccines being distributed before the Christmas holiday.
“We are now filing a crime against the virus,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told a media program on Operation Warm Speed on Monday.
As a form of coronavirus has recently evolved in Britain, public health experts are concerned about higher rates of its possible transmission. More than one strain currently appears to be spreading more easily in the United States, while Dr. Monsef Sloy, a top scientist at Operation Operation Warm Speed, said that mutations do not make viruses “more pathogenic.” People don’t get sicker, or more likely to die if they contract the modified version.
Sloe said the vaccine was designed with potential mutations in mind, meaning that the ability of the British variant to survive the vaccine’s protective response would be very low.
Gustav Parna, director general of Operation Vorp Speed, who took responsibility for logistical errors in the initial vaccine shipment over the weekend, said 9.9 million doses of the vaccine would be delivered in the coming days: , Which has first received Food and Drug Administration approval.
The Moderna vaccine will be sent to 3,500 locations, while the Pfizer vaccine – which requires very cold temperatures for storage and transport – will be sent to 1,000 locations.
Azar said they will get the Moderna vaccine next week. Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated last week, and President-elect Joe Biden follows suit today. It is not clear when President Trump will be vaccinated. He contracted coronavirus in October and received treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Trump promised an effective vaccine as soon as the epidemic began. Although many effective vaccines have been developed at record times, in recent weeks the president has focused on his claims of voter fraud, which have been repeatedly rejected by courts as well as Republican and Democratic state officials, not to mention their own key legislation. Officer.
Speaking on Monday, Azar reiterated that he believes 20 million people will be vaccinated by the end of the year. He said that by the end of February there would be 100 million “shots in the arms”, meaning people would receive the first or second dose of the vaccine.
Biden said earlier this month that it has 100 million shots Will come during the first 100 days of his presidency, Indicating that the effort may not be completed until April.
And while Azar told reporters that “normal vaccination programs” for those not in critical areas or vulnerable ones could begin in early March, the incoming administration appears to be more cautious.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, the upcoming U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said there would be no comprehensive vaccination until “mid-summer or early fall”.
“It’s important to be realistic about the timeline,” Murthy said.
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