First Wave Of Coronavirus Vaccine Shipping Out Across US, Including To Calif.
HAWTHORNE (CBSLA) — The first wave of coronavirus vaccines from drug maker Pfizer are shipping out across the United States, including to California where a shipment was expected to arrive to Hawthorne.
The first shipment of the approved vaccine left Kalamazoo, Michigan Sunday, setting in motion the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history with 184,270 doses of the vaccine departing that plant by morning.
As part of Operation Warp Speed, the doses of the vaccine are expected to be distributed to 145 locations in all 50 states by Monday and another 636 locations by Tuesday. The ultimate goal is to have the vaccine distributed to every health care facility in the country within the next three weeks.
"This may be our finest hour," said Richard Smith, a regional president of FedEx. "I'm just so proud of the role our workers have played in the fight against this pandemic to date. But the role they are about to play in the upcoming fight to get these vaccines out and end this thing, this may be our finest hour as a company."
Each box is affixed with a sensor that allows for adequate tracking of the doses. Another 390,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to ship out Monday.
The vaccine is expected to be distributed to healthcare workers first, followed up by those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 in January.
