America prepares for Operation Warp Speed

Authorities hope Covid-19 vaccine roll out is the beginning of the end of pandemic

The US’s first Covid-19 vaccine will begin arriving in states tomorrow, officials said after the Government gave the final go-ahead to the shots needed to end an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.

Trucks will roll out today as shipping companies UPS and FedEx begin delivering Pfizer’s vaccine to nearly 150 distribution centres across the states, said Army General Gustave Perna of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine development programme. An additional 425 sites will get shipments Wednesday, and the remaining 66 on Thursday.

Initially, about 3 million doses were expected to be shipped nationwide. It was unclear exactly who would receive the first shots, though health care workers and nursing home residents were the priority. Perna said health authorities would decide.

A similar number of shots will be held back for those recipients’ second dose, which is needed for full protection from Covid-19.

The announcement kicks off a massive logistical operation involving the federal and state governments, private companies and health care workers to quickly distribute limited vaccine supplies throughout the US.

It offers hope in a country grappling with surging Covid-19 infections and deaths, which are overwhelming hospitals and raising fears that things will only get worse as people gather over the holidays.

Perna compared the vaccine distribution effort to D-Day, the US-led military offensive that turned the tide in World War II.

“D-Day was the beginning of the end and that’s where we are today,” Perna said a news conference. But he added that it would take months of work and “diligence, courage and strength to eventually achieve victory.”

MaineHealth, a network of 12 hospitals based in Portland, plans to provide an expected first delivery of nearly 2000 vaccines to doctors, nurses and others facing risk as they treat Covid-19 patients, said Dr Dora Mills, chief health improvement officer.

“It’s almost hard for me to talk about without tearing up,” Mills said. “This vaccine gives us some glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.”

In a key distribution challenge, the vaccine, co-developed with BioNTech, must be stored and shipped at ultra-low temperatures. Pfizer has developed shipping containers that use dry ice, and GPSenabled sensors will allow the company to track each shipment and ensure it stays cold.

Distribution sites are mainly large hospitals and other facilities able to meet those ultra-cold storage requirements. Within three weeks, vaccines should be delivered to all vaccination sites identified by states, such as local pharmacies, Perna said.

Workers at Mount Sinai Hospital System in New York did a dry run this week to prepare for their shipment. In a clean room, pharmacists practiced making separate doses of a training vaccine and ensuring the freezer was kept at temperatures colder than in Antarctica.

“Not a lot of people have vaccinated for a large pandemic like this,” said Susan Mashni, vice president of pharmacy at Mount Sinai. “So we want to make certain that we get it right. There’s a lot of different moving pieces and parts.”

While the vaccine was determined to be safe, regulators in the UK are investigating several severe allergic reactions.