The distribution of vaccines in the US, which priority groups should receive starting today, represents a challenge of staggering proportions and one of the most complicated logistical missions in the history of the US, which US officials have compared to D-Day, as the beginning of the end of the pandemic that has disrupted the economy and daily life, Radio reports today. Free Europe (RSE) evaluation of world media.
Planes and trucks began transporting the first approved coronavirus vaccines across the US this weekend, with nearly three million doses reaching hospitals in all 50 states, the Financial Times reports.
After the US Food and Drug Administration's decision on Friday, December 11, to approve the Pfizer and Biontec vaccine, on Saturday workers at factories in Wisconsin and Michigan began packing doses that will be transported by UPS and FedEx.
First, 2,9 million doses will be distributed, while another 2,9 million will be sent for the second vaccination after three weeks.
Another 500.000 doses are kept in reserve for emergency situations.
The first shipments will be on Monday to 145 locations in 50 states - mostly to large hospitals that can store the vaccine at minus 70 degrees Celsius, while the first vaccines outside healthcare facilities will be given soon after.
Vaccines will arrive at another 425 sites on Tuesday, followed by 66 on Wednesday. U.S. General Gustave Perna, in charge of vaccine distribution, insisted the U.S. is on track to deliver 40 million doses by the end of the year, although that depends on whether Moderna's vaccine is approved this week, the Financial Times reported, adding that a board of scientific advisers was meeting on Thursday. , on Dec. 17, to issue a recommendation on the request to the Modern Food and Drug Administration.
Americans will begin receiving vaccines on Monday after a record number of coronavirus deaths in one day was recorded again over the weekend, according to the BBC.
On Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins University, 3.309 deaths related to COVID-19 were recorded in the United States, which is the highest number of deaths in one day anywhere in the world, the BBC points out, adding that the number of deaths from the coronavirus in the United States has begun to rise sharply. in November.
US health authorities are expected to prioritize healthcare workers and nursing home residents, the BBC said, indicating that Americans who are not in the top priority groups will likely be able to get the vaccine in January, while it will be generally available in April.
The approval of the Pfizer-Biontek vaccine began one of the most complicated logistical missions in US history, marking a new phase of the pandemic, the Washington Post reports, noting that US officials compared the start of distribution to the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
General Perna, who oversees the distribution, said Saturday was "D-Day".
"D-Day was a key turning point in World War II; it was the beginning of the end," Perna said, adding "D-Day was the beginning of the end and here we are today."
Experts, however, as stated by the American newspaper, warn that immunization in the early stages will not suppress the intensification of the pandemic and emphasize that precautionary measures are still necessary.
After FDA approval, Pfizer's vaccine was supported by an advisory board of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which expressed concern about the lack of resources available to federal and local governments for vaccination, compared to the billions of taxpayer dollars devoted to speeding up distribution. vaccines.
Vaccines arrive at hospitals overflowing with COVID-19 patients.
According to the Washington Post, there were more than 108.000 people hospitalized with the coronavirus in hospitals across the US on Saturday.
Those hospitals face ethical and logistical challenges about vaccines. In some institutions, priority will be given to workers in intensive care units, while in others priority will be given to those who work in maintenance or with cancer patients and newborn babies.
There is also a dilemma whether to give vaccines first to those under full protective equipment or to those who only wear masks and may come into contact with asymptomatic cases.
The most ambitious vaccination campaign in American history is a "challenge of staggering proportions," the New York Times says, and indicates that the start of vaccination is the first step toward the goal of immunizing enough Americans by spring to finally stop the spread of the virus that has killed nearly 300.000 people in the U.S., disrupted economy, education system and everyday life.
Although the rapid development of the vaccine and its approval based on data showing that it is 95 percent effective is a triumph of medical science, much, the paper emphasizes, can go wrong in the complicated next phase.
One of the biggest open questions is how many Americans - including those in the health sector - will be reluctant to get the vaccine, the New York Times points out.
A Pew poll conducted at the end of November found that 18 percent said they "definitely would not" get the vaccine if it were "available today," and 21 percent said they "probably wouldn't."
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