Coronavirus updates: 1st vaccines now on the way to all 50 US states
Two main trucks left the Pfizer facility on Sunday morning, the company said.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 71.5 million people and killed over 1.6 million worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Latest headlines:
1st vaccines to arrive at 145 sites on Monday
Pfizer said it expects to have the vaccines rolling out of its Kalamazoo, Michigan, facility on Sunday morning.
The first shipments are expected to arrive at 145 sites on Monday, 425 sites on Tuesday and another 66 sites on Wednesday, Gen. Gus Perna of the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed vaccine program said.
At those sites, the vaccines will be paired with ancillary kits to assist with the vaccinations. The kits contain needles, syringes, alcohol swabs, diluent, safety gear and vaccine reminder cards.
ABC News' Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
FDA ‘very comfortable’ with vaccine safety profile for 16, 17 year olds
Common questions surrounding the newly authorized Pfizer vaccine include safety for teenagers and the risk of allergic reactions.
Though the final data doesn’t have conclusive data on 16 and 17 year olds because they weren’t enrolled in trials until more recently, the FDA is “very comfortable with the safety profile that was observed in 17 and 16 year olds," Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told reporters.
Regarding allergies, Marks said 1.6% of the population has had a severe allergic reaction.
Marks said you should notify your doctor if you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to a vaccine and noted that sites that administer the vaccine will have medications on hand to respond to an allergic reaction.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
FDA Commissioner denies he was threatened with firing
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Saturday denied reports he was threatened with firing.
Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that in a Friday phone call, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows suggested to Hahn that his job could be on the line if his agency didn’t authorize emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by the end of the day.
“Representations in the press that I was threatened to be fired if we didn’t get it done by a certain date is inaccurate,” Hahn told reporters Saturday.
Hahn said he would “absolutely” take the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. He said it was authorized late Friday because science and data said it was ready, not because of “any other external pressure.”
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
Friday was deadliest day since COVID-19 pandemic began, data shows
A record number of people -- 3,309 -- died from COVID-19 Friday, according to new data from Johns Hopkins University.
Friday's record shattered the previous single-day record death toll of 3,124 which was set Wednesday.
Massachusetts to halt elective surgeries due to COVID-19
On Friday, hospitals in Massachusetts will stop offering elective surgeries that can be safely postponed, Gov. Charlie Baker said at a press conference Monday afternoon.
"This action will free up unnecessary staffing and beds," Baker said. "We all know we're in the midst of a second surge. We're seeing a higher number of new cases each day. And in turn, an increase in hospitalizations statewide."
On Sunday, Massachusetts reported 4,747 new infections and a seven-day average testing positivity rate of 5.3%. There are 1,416 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19.
Despite the worsening statistics, the state is better prepared this time around, Baker insisted. In addition to reallocating hospitals resources, the state is ramping up and winterizing testing sites, stockpiling PPE and preparing two field hospitals in Worcester and Lowell.
-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.