Today, the rollout of the recently approved Pfizer coronavirus vaccine officially gets underway with health care workers and nursing home residents among the first recipients. The sub-freezing vaccine is expected to be delivered to all 50 states today through the help of Fed Ex and UPS.
“We’ve safely made our first deliveries of @pfizer-@BioNTech_Group COVID-19 vaccines,” FedEx wrote in an early Monday morning tweet. “We’re honored to be able to use our network to transport these critical vaccines in the U.S., and eventually the world.”
UPS commented on the vaccine rollout on Sunday afternoon, tweeting “It was a whirlwind of a day that was months in the making. To our partners in the healthcare, logistics and government sectors, and to the @UPSers who made today’s #vaccine logistics possible…thank you!”
Fast transportation of the vaccines is essential as it must be stored at temperatures around -94 degrees.
As the vaccine hits distribution centers, it still faces skepticism among the public. A survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 25% of Americans are not interested in receiving the vaccine, while another 25% remain unsure, and around 50% plan to get the vaccine ASAP. Of those in the “not interested” or “unsure” categories, some simply oppose the vaccine altogether, while others plan on waiting to see how the rollout goes.
The vaccine is being distributed based on each state’s population with deliveries expected to continue arriving at distribution centers around the country through Wednesday.
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