6.4M Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Doses To Be Distributed Across US Within 24 Hours Of FDA Approval: WaPo

Over six million doses of Pfizer Inc’s  PFE COVID-19 vaccine could be distributed within 24 hours of it being given the go-ahead by the United States Food And Drug Administration, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

What Happened: The vaccine’s 6.4 million doses would be sent across communities and the first shots are expected to be given to front-line health-care workers, according to the Post. The doses would not sufficient to cover the country’s 20 million healthcare workers.

Gustave Perna, the logistics overseer of Operation Warp Speed — the outgoing Trump administration’s program to hasten the development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments — said the state officials were informed Friday night of allocation, which is contingent on the overall population of each state.

States are expected to designate five sites that can both receive and administer the vaccine, which must be stored at a temperature of -70 Celsius (-94 Fahrenheit), as per the Post.

Perna said a “steady drumbeat” of successive doses would be delivered weekly as manufacturing capacity picks up the pace.

Why It Matters: Priorities of first phase distribution include healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities, an advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, as per the Post.

Pfizer and Moderna Inc MRNA will supply 40 million doses of their respective vaccines by the end of the year, which would be sufficient to vaccinate 20 million people, as each course of the vaccine requires two doses.

Other essential workers, people with high-risk medical conditions, and those aged over 65 would be next to receive the vaccination, according to the panel.

Price Action: Pfizer shares closed nearly 0.1% higher at $36.60 on Tuesday.

Related Link: Pfizer, BioNTech File First For Emergency Use Authorization Of Coronavirus Vaccine