Dec 20, 2020 - Health
First doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine have shipped in the U.S.
Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, on Dec. 20. Photo: Paul Sancya/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
The first shipments of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine were sent from a distribution center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, on Sunday morning, AP reports.
Why it matters: The planned delivery of millions of doses of the Moderna vaccine, which has a 94.1% efficacy rate, comes amid a dangerously high coronavirus caseload across the country that could be exacerbated by holiday travel.
Driving the news: The Moderna vaccine will be distributed to thousands of cities, Army Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, said at a news conference on Saturday.
- Roughly 2.9 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is about 95% effective, were shipped last week.
