US COVID-19 Vaccine COO "Pfizer Vaccine Arrives on 14th... Counterattack D-Day Begins"

Gustav Perna, U.S. Army General

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The U.S. government announced that the first doses of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine will begin arriving in various regions starting on the 14th (local time).

On the day, the Associated Press and others reported that Lieutenant General Gustave Perna, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the U.S. government's COVID-19 vaccine development program "Operation Warp Speed," stated in a briefing that starting Monday morning, the 14th, Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine will begin arriving at 145 distribution sites across the United States.

COO Perna compared this day to D-Day, the execution day of the Allied forces' Normandy landings in June 1944, saying, "D-Day was a significant turning point in World War II. It was the beginning of the end," and added, "The point where we stand today is exactly that."

He emphasized that in the U.S., which has recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, the vaccine marks a starting point to turn the situation around. According to Johns Hopkins University, the cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. surpassed 292,000 the previous day, exceeding the 291,500 American combat deaths during World War II.

The Washington Post reported that "hospitals, which have been searching for bullets (fictional bullets that can kill werewolves) to fight this virus for months, will begin receiving the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine on the 14th."

The initial vaccine doses will be administered to healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, and emergency responders, as well as residents and staff of long-term care facilities.

The first supply of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine in the U.S. amounts to a total of 2.9 million doses and will be transported to 636 locations including hospitals nationwide. Of these, 145 sites will receive vaccines on the first day, 425 sites will receive them on the 15th, and the remaining 66 sites will get them on the 16th.

The initial supply will be moved on the morning of the 13th from Pfizer's plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, using dedicated trailer trucks attached to aircraft and escort vehicles, to the nationwide logistics hubs of FedEx and UPS responsible for vaccine transportation, before heading to their destinations.

COO Perna emphasized that although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for the vaccine on the 11th, a day earlier than initially expected, there is no change to the vaccination start schedule.

Because the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires ultra-cold storage at minus 70 degrees Celsius, dry ice and special containers will be used during transportation. UPS, responsible for delivery, plans to produce 24,000 pounds (approximately 10,900 kg) of dry ice daily for this purpose.

Additionally, advanced sensors will be attached to the containers holding the vaccine to monitor location, temperature, atmospheric pressure, and movement in real time, transmitting this information to the logistics company headquarters.

Once the vaccines arrive at hospitals and care facilities nationwide on the 14th, emergency vaccinations are expected to begin immediately. The vaccines distributed this time are the first doses of a two-dose regimen, with the second doses (also 2.9 million) scheduled for distribution 21 days later.

However, experts note that even after vaccinations begin, the spread of COVID-19 will not immediately stop. To achieve herd immunity that suppresses the spread, 70-80% of the total population must be vaccinated.

Following the FDA's emergency use authorization (EUA) granted the previous day, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine also received a recommendation for use from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the same day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.