Exports of the COVID-19 vaccine begin with a historic effort in the United States

Many freezer-packed COVID-19 vaccine bottles went to distribution sites across the United States on Sunday, with the nation’s infectious deaths approaching the horrific new milestone of 300,000.

The release of the Pfizer vaccine, first approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is the largest vaccine effort in U.S. history – although some have expressed initial skepticism or concern, health officials believe the American people will embrace it. The shot is expected to be delivered to health workers and nursing home residents starting Monday.

Rapid transport for the vaccine is important, especially since it must be stored at a very low temperature – 94 degrees below zero. Early Sunday morning, workers in Pfizer – dressed in glowing yellow clothes, stiff hats and gloves – were not wasting time as they stuffed bottles into boxes. They scanned the packages and placed them in freezer cases with dry ice. These vaccines were developed from Pfizer’s Bordeaux in Michigan to Gerald R. in the Grand Rabbits. The first cargo plane was taken to Ford International Airport, where airport officials called it a “happy” mood.

“This is a historic day,” said Richard W., who oversees FedEx Express’ operations in the United States. Smith said it has been delivering 630-some vaccine packages to distribution sites across the country. The United Parcel Service also carries a portion of the vaccine.

FedEx package handler Bruce Smith at Grand Rapids Airport has a special item to help carry the vaccine, and his older sister, Queen, died of a corona virus infection in May. He was admitted to a hospital in Georgia a day after seeing her in a video chat, and they never spoke again.

“Something that destroyed our family – I think he would be happy to know that a family member is going to be a part of such a big project,” said Smith, 58, whose son-in-law, the Queen’s son, is also ill and still undergoing treatment for symptoms such as stroke. “This is very important.”

Tracked by GPS-enabled sensors, initial shipments were expected to be around 3 million volumes, with many more to come. Federal officials say the first shipment of Pfizer vaccine will stumble, arrive at 145 distribution centers on Monday, and another 425 sites will be shipped on Tuesday, with the remaining 66 shipped on Wednesday. Doses of the vaccine, developed jointly by German partner Bioendech, are based on the number of adults in each state. States decide where to go first.

In California, health workers will be the first to be vaccinated, with state health officials prioritizing hospitals that have adequate storage capacity, serve high-risk people, and are able to vaccinate people quickly.

Preliminary studies have found that some health workers do not even want to top the list. Dr. Graham Snyder, who heads the immunization team at UBC, a Pennsylvania healthcare company, estimates that half of its staff are ready to receive the vaccine once it has been administered.

But many health officials expect the excitement to increase.

“They have the idea that if they are vaccinated and immunocompromised they should not be afraid to come to work,” said Dr. Sandra Kemmerley, medical director of hospital quality at the 40-hospital Oshner Health System in Louisiana. And Mississippi. Staff authorized for the first round receive texts and emails planning their initial injection, he said. Adequate vaccination is stored so that each person receiving the first vaccine gets the second shot they need for a few weeks. Then.

Senior U.S. government officials, including some White House officials who work closely with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, will be given corona virus vaccines soon this week, two people familiar with the matter have confirmed.

A study by the Associated Press-NRC Public Affairs Research Center found that half of Americans would like to be vaccinated sooner rather than later. Another quarter is not sure, the rest of the quarter they say they are not interested. Some are generally opposed to vaccines. Others worry that the vaccines have arrived in a hurry and want to see how the roll goes.

FDA Commissioner Dr Stephen Hahn, who approved the Pfizer vaccine on Friday, has repeatedly insisted that the agency’s decision was based on science, not politics, despite the White House threatening to remove him if the vaccine was not approved on Saturday.

Speaking on Sunday, Fox News said Dr. Monsieur Sloy, chief scientific adviser to Operation Warp Speed, a U.S. initiative to get vaccines quickly, said he was “deeply concerned” about the vaccine’s suspicion in some circles.

“Unfortunately … there is a confusion between how complete and scientific and true the work that has been done, and the perception that people think we are cutting corners …” Slavy said. “Nothing like this has ever happened. I guarantee you that we follow science.”

He called for the development of vaccines for a number of pharmaceutical companies, including Moderna and AstraZeneca, “a remarkable achievement of the scientific, educational, industrial environment and the US government.

Although the vaccine has been determined to be safe, regulators in the UK are exploring several severe allergic reactions. The FDA’s instructions state that suppliers should not give to anyone with a history of severe allergic reactions to any of its products.

The Moderna vaccine will be reviewed by an expert panel on Thursday and may soon be approved for general use.

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Irwin Report from Chicago. Jack Miller, an Associated Press writer in Washington, DC, contributed to the report.