Photographs published by the Associated Prees show workers at the Pfizer plant in Michigan removing the first boxes of vaccine vials and placing them in large blue freezers before they can be packed for shipment.
According to CNN, the first batches of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine will arrive in 50 US states by Monday morning, to be immediately available to US citizens.
"We can expect that 145 centers in all states will receive the vaccine on Monday, an additional 425 centers on Tuesday. "And the last 66 centers on Wednesday, which will end the first delivery of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine," said General Gus Perna, of the US government-run Warp Speed operation to ensure the vaccine was distributed.
The United States became the fifth country to give the green light (after Britain, Bahrain, Canada and Mexico) to the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
U.S. regulators approved the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine late Friday night, and the US Federal Marshals Service will escort cargo from the factory to its final destination under tight security.
"We have spent months talking to Operation Warp Speed officials and our healthcare clients about effective vaccination support and it is time to implement the plan," Wes said on Saturday. Wheeler, President of UPS Healthcare.
- Pete Muntean (@petemuntean) December 13, 2020
Pfizer packages, with dry ice to stay at the right temperature, contain up to 4.875 doses and during the first stage of their journey they will be transported, from Kalamazoo, to planes waiting nearby. Workers will load the vaccines onto aircraft, which will take them to United Parcel Service or FedEx airports in Louisville, Kentucky and Memphis, Tennessee, respectively.
From there they will be transported by truck or by air to facilities near 145 points in the USA, where the first installments are scheduled to be received. UPS and FedEx distributors, who can also carry holiday gifts and other packages, will deliver many of the "suitcases" to healthcare staff tomorrow, Monday. This load is the first of three expected this week.
Health workers and elderly nursing home guests will be the first to be vaccinated. The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine should be transported and stored at 70 degrees Celsius below zero.
UPS and FedEx give the vaccine first priority, having made room for it on planes and trucks at a time when the pandemic and e-commerce-related holiday season are creating more transport demand than they can to be managed by transport companies. Both companies have experience in managing sensitive medical products and will monitor each shipment throughout its journey.