The United States has started rolling out doses of the first COVID-19 vaccine on Monday morning. This marks an important turning point in the country’s fight against the rising number of local cases. Healthcare workers and caregivers from nursing homes received the first doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer.
States Welcome Vaccine Shipments
Several states received the COVID-19 vaccine doses, and elected officials, healthcare workers and leaders welcomed the shipments. Some of these states include Connecticut, California, Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, and New York.
Mississippi’s state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi’s state health officer shared a photo on Twitter after getting vaccinated. “First COVID vaccination in MS – proud and privileged,” he wrote in his tweet.
New York documented the event through a livestream with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. At 9:23 a.m., a critical nurse from Northwell Long Island Jewish Medical Center named Sandra Lindsay received the first vaccination in the state.
During the event, Lindsay shared that she wanted to show people that they can trust the vaccine. “I believe in science. As a nurse, my practice is guided by science and so I trust that,” she told Gov. Cuomo in the livestream. “What I don’t trust is that, if I contract COVID, I don’t know how it would impact or those who I come in contact with, so I encourage everyone to take the vaccine.”
Additionally, both President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden celebrated the vaccine rollout and shared their thoughts on social media.
“First Vaccine Administered. Congratulations USA! Congratulations WORLD!” President Trump tweeted.
Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden said, “Stay hopeful — brighter days lie ahead,” as he retweeted a news video featuring Sandra Lindsay.
More COVID-19 Vaccine Batches To Roll Out
The release of the vaccine in the country comes just a few days after the Food and Drug Administration gave it emergency use authorization for citizens over 16. Following this, Pfizer shipped 2.9 million doses to 636 places across the United States.
Pfizer, in partnership with BioNTech, produced the vaccine. It started shipping out doses from it’s Michigan warehouse last Sunday. Locations receiving the vaccine shipments were pre-selected by state governors and health officials.
According to Pfizer, it will release another batch soon after the first one. Meanwhile, the U.S. government decided to keep 500,000 doses in reserve in case any shipping or distribution issues occur.
The Pfizer vaccine is the first in the U.S. to use genetic technology in development instead of parts of the virus. For full inoculation, a person needs two doses. According to Pfizer, its trials have shown that its vaccine is 95% effective.
Developments in COVID-19 vaccines come in the U.S. as the number of cases continues to surge up. Research data suggests that the country will soon face what is considered as the deadliest period in the pandemic. Apart from this, the country also has the most cases worldwide, with over 16 million cases and near 300,000 deaths, as per Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center.
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