Those groups would cover teachers and critical workers in high-risk settings.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 75.5 million people worldwide and killed over 1.6 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
The first Moderna vaccines will likely be administered on Monday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.
They will begin delivery on Monday, at which point "we will likely see the first vaccinations with this vaccine," Azar said on Twitter Saturday.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a stricter "tier 4" lockdown for London and southeast England on Saturday, citing a rapidly spreading new strain of COVID-19 detected by government scientists.
The new strain was not more dangerous, he stressed during a press briefing, but it was spreading faster, particularly in London and southeast England. The new variant may be 70% more transmissible than any strain previously detected, he said. There is no evidence a vaccine is less effective against it, he added.
The new restrictions go into effect Sunday morning. People are encouraged to stay home, and only one household indoors and two households outdoors will be allowed.
Previously, up to three households could gather from Dec. 23-27.
“We cannot continue with Christmas as planned," Johnson said Saturday.
All nonessential shops, sports facilities and gyms will also close.
The restrictions will last at least two weeks.
-ABC News' Mike Trew contributed to this report
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp said Saturday it "operations were in motion" to transport the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for McKesson Corp. throughout the United States.
FedEx Express will begin transport of the vaccine and kits of supplies for administration of the vaccine, using its FedEx Priority Overnight service supported by FedEx Priority Alert advanced monitoring, the company said in its statement.
-Ahmad Hemingway, Anne Flaherty, Stephanie Ebbs, Sophie Tatum, Arielle Mitropoulos and Ivan Pereira
The United States reported a record high of 249,709 new COVID-19 cases Friday -- just shy of a quarter-million -- according to updated data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Also, according to The COVID Tracking Project's Friday evening update, a record 114,751 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus, marking the thirteenth straight day that the nation has hit a record high of current hospitalizations.
Additionally, 2,814 deaths were reported Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
By all metrics, this week has been the worse since the pandemic began in terms of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
