Rollout of US COVID-19 vaccines is ‘on track’ to get 20 million Americans vaccinated this year

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Rollout of US COVID-19 vaccines is ‘on track’ to get 20 million Americans vaccinated by the end of the year with shots delivered to 636 locations in all 50 states and 7.9 million doses are coming next week – if Moderna jab is approved

  • The U.S. has delivered coronavirus  vaccines to all 50 states since Pfizer’s shot was given emergency FDA approval on Friday 
  • Doses have reached all 636 locations slated for the first wave of deliveries
  • Another 2 million doses of Pfizer’s shot will be rolled out next week  
  • If Moderna’s shot is given emergency FDA approval this week, as expected, 5.9 million doses of its vaccine will ship out next week 
  • Most states are vaccinating high-risk health care workers only, but Florida and  West Virginia have started inoculating nursing home residents 
  • The U.S. is negotiating with Pfizer for another 100 million doses of its vaccine  but officials said the firm has been ‘unable to specify’ how many it  can supply 

By Natalie Rahhal U.S. Health Editor

Published: | Updated:

The massive rollout of coronavirus vaccines is ‘on track,’ with millions of doses of Pfizer’s delivered to all 636 planned locations in the first wave of shipments, Operation Warp Speed says. 

Officials did not specify how many Americans have received their first doses of vaccine in the past three days. HHS told DailyMail.com in an email that the agency is waiting for states to report these figures.  

Another two million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine will be shipped next week, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said during the Wednesday press briefing. 

Assuming it is authorized by the FDA, 5.9 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine will be shipped next week.   

Pfizer’s first wave of 2.9 million doses of its vaccine have now been delivered to all 50 states. 

They have mostly been administered to high-risk health care workers, but two states – Florida and West Virginia – have already started vaccinating nursing home residents, General Gustave Perna revealed. 

By around mid-January, some 37,000 brick-and-mortar pharmacies – an expansion from current distribution to hospitals – should get their first shipments of vaccine doses, he added. 

While the rollout is on track, tensions are building between Pfizer and the U.S. government. 

‘We have had less visibility’ into Pfizer’s manufacturing and supply chain, compared to other vaccine makers like Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, Secretary Azar said. 

Co-chief of Operation Warp Speed, Dr Moncef Slaoui, said the firm had previously been ‘unable to specify when doses would be delivered.’ 

Pfizer has a deal with the U.S. for 100 million doses of its vaccine, and the government is in negotiations with the company to acquire another 100 million doses  – but the Operation Warp Speed officials said that, even if an agreement is not reached, they will move ahead and have enough doses to get the U.S. to herd immunity with vaccines from Moderna and other firms like Johnson & Johnson.