Watch the first U.S. COVID-19 vaccine shipments leave Pfizer's manufacturing plant
The vaccine is on the road.
The first American shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use, went out Sunday, as UPS, Boyle, and FedEx trucks pulled out of a Pfizer manufacturing plant in Portage, Michigan, to deliver them to hundreds of sites across the country. The watershed moment marks the first phase of what should be the largest vaccination effort in American history, and it could be a major step toward ending the coronavirus pandemic.
The initial shipments will be staggered, with around 3 million doses going to 145 sites Monday, 425 more sites Tuesday, and 66 sites Wednesday. Hospitals and other locations that are equipped to meet the ultra-cold storage requirements for the vaccine will be on the receiving end of those batches, The Associated Press reports, and all vaccination sites, as identified by each state, will reportedly get their doses within three weeks. Read more at The Associated Press and watch a truck pull out from the plant below.
Minutes ago, trucks filled with #coronavirus vaccines departed the @pfizer facility in Portage, Mich., headed for distribution centers and airports. Crowds who gathered outside the facility cheered the departing @FedEx and @UPS trucks. https://t.co/F29rcw6WcV pic.twitter.com/ZsTG2h5vJI
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) December 13, 2020
Historic. #mi06 https://t.co/5PU1h5ymwR
— Fred Upton #WearYourMask (@RepFredUpton) December 13, 2020
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