Thousands of vials were collected last Sunday to distribute the last regulatory ban on the vaccine across the country.
“We expect 145 sites in all states to receive the vaccine on Monday, another 425 sites on Tuesday and the final 66 sites by Wednesday to complete the initial distribution of Pfizer orders for the vaccine,” Chief Operating Officer Gustav Berna said of Operation Warp Speed, Saturday.
It is up to the states to assign their share of the vaccine, but the CDC recommends that leading health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities be vaccinated first. Officials warn it could take months for the vaccine to become available to many Americans as the virus continues to rise, becoming more severe and breaking national records.
Keeping cool
Wes Wheeler, head of UPS Healthcare, told CNN on Sunday evening that all the planes carrying the vaccine had departed from the airport in Louisville, Kentucky, and that almost all ground operations had departed.
According to Wheeler, the off-load will begin at 8 a.m. Monday, which means vaccinations will be given soon, at 8:10 or 8:15 p.m.
One of the biggest challenges the carrier faces is maintaining the temperature required for vaccination, he said.
“Minus 100 degrees with dry ice is required, it ensures movement, ensures the temperature is maintained, ensures dry ice that follows the vessel after the vaccination arrives, which is also important,” he said. “We make sure to integrate the tools that go before the vaccination, so the management sites have everything they need to do the measurement as soon as possible tomorrow morning.”
Wheeler told CNN’s Ana Cabrera that the command center for UPS was monitoring each ship and monitoring all packages. He said they can see within 10 feet every time a package arrives at one of the UPS sites across the country.
The first batch is coming to Los Angeles
“This is an important milestone for science, our country, and our community. Thanks to everyone who made this distribution possible, and is part of an incredible effort to distribute the vaccine worldwide,” Lox said.
The virus is spreading across the United States, with different states differing in their approach to dealing with the infection, even as they prepare to receive the vaccine.
There were more than 30,000 new positive corona virus cases on Sunday for the third day in a row, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
With the exception of essentials such as grocery store, banking and doctor appointments, more than 90% of California residents are under home stay orders. The government has forced residents to stay at home if the ICU capacity for the region drops below 15%.
States equate precautionary measures with vaccine distribution
“We are at a critical juncture,” Sisolak said, adding, “We will monitor and evaluate our current situation from day to day, week by week under current restrictions, with the goal of achieving next month.”
Sisolak said the government expects to receive the first shipment of the vaccine on Monday. Although he did not specify when the vaccinations would begin, Sisolak said there were plans to distribute the first quota to leading health care workers and staff in nursing facilities and residents for “immediate vaccination.”
In Washington, the government announced on Monday that Jay Insley would receive the first vaccine exports to his state on Monday, with vaccinations expected to begin Tuesday.
The 62,000 dose will initially be distributed to 40 facilities and 29 counties, said Michael Roberts, executive assistant secretary of the Washington Department of Health.
“Today’s news is that we will see an end to this epidemic,” Insley said. But he warned residents to continue safety precautionary measures despite the start of vaccinations. “I want to be clear that this does not change the importance of our security precautions. Concealment, physical distance and contact control are just as important tomorrow as they were yesterday.”
Wear masks
The director of the National Institutes of Health warned Sunday that vaccinated recipients should continue to wear masks.
“Even if you are protected from getting sick at the highest percentage, you should still consider yourself contagious,” Dr. Francis Collins told NBC’s Chuck Todd in “Meet the Press.”
It is not yet known whether the Pfizer and Modern vaccines prevent people from becoming asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Collins Todd said it was an “urgent question to discover” and that it would take two months to figure it out.
“Masks are still going to be a part of our lives. We have to recognize it and not start moving away or abandoning our guard,” Collins said.
But he appealed to the public to get the vaccine, saying details of its safety and efficacy are publicly available.
“All fair people, if they have a chance to put aside the noise and ignore all those terrible conspiracy theories, will look at this and say, ‘I want this for my family, I want it for myself.’ He said about the vaccine.” People are dying right now. How can you say we will wait and see if it means that some terrible tragedies are going to happen, ”he said.
CNN’s Maggie Fox, Holly Silverman, Kay Jones, Gregory Wallace, Claudia Dominguez, Chuck Johnston, Jessica Jordan, Kay Jones, Artemis Moshtagian, Naomi Thomas and Jennifer Selva all contributed to the report.