Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Photo: Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
More than 1 million people in the U.S. have received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine as of Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: The U.S. began its largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history last week as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths surged nationwide.
By the numbers:
- 9,465,725 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been distributed as of Wednesday.
- 1,008,025 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been administered.
- Of note: The CDC does not yet have data on the number of the Moderna vaccine doses administered. The FDA granted Moderna an emergency use authorization for its vaccine late last week.
- The U.S. has recorded over 18 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 324,000 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon, per Johns Hopkins University data.
- Some 117,777 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday evening, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The big picture: Health care workers and people living in long-term care facilities, as well as some lawmakers, were the first to receive the vaccine in the U.S.
- A CDC advisory board recommended that people over the age of 75 and front-line essential workers be in the next group to receive the vaccine.
Go deeper: U.S. buys another 100 million doses of Pfizer vaccine