The FDA has authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the U.S., clearing the way for millions of people to begin receiving Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine within days.
With the FDA's Dec. 11 decision, the U.S. became the sixth country to clear the vaccine, which Pfizer's late-stage clinical trial data showed to be 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19, according to The New York Times. The federal government plans to distribute 2.9 million doses of the vaccine within 24 hours of the authorization and distribute another 2.9 million doses 21 days later for patients to get their second dose, said Gen. Gustave Perna, who oversees logistics for vaccine program Operation Warp Speed, according to CNBC.
Every state and six major cities have submitted a list of locations to the federal government where the Pfizer vaccine is to ship initially. This list is mostly hospitals, according to the Times. A CDC advisory panel in early December suggested high-risk healthcare workers, along with nursing home residents and staff, be the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Pfizer has a deal with the federal government to supply 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by March. The shots will be free to the public, according to the Times.
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