Charter flights bringing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to the United States from Belgium began on Friday, the start of what the Federal Aviation Administration calls the first “mass air shipment” of a coronavirus vaccine.
There are no legal coronavirus vaccines in the United States yet, however, distribution arrangements are accelerating. Under FDA rules, the vaccine will be sent to real administration sites until it is legal or legal through the FDA.
The Pfizer vaccine is expected to be approved through the Food and Drug Administration until mid-December.
Although it cannot be delivered to doctors, the vaccine can be pre-placed at distribution sites to allow faster delivery once authorized, which began on Friday.
When can only one COVID-19 vaccine be approved? FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn answers unusual questions
Operation Warp Speed, the White House-led initiative to expand and distribute vaccines, plans to begin the first deliveries of vaccines within 24 hours of FDA approval.
Pfizer has two plants that produce its COVID-19 vaccine, one in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and one in Puurs, Belgium.
On Sunday, Health and Human Services showed that the shipments came from Europe.
“The leaders of Operation Warp Speed know and facilitate the shipment of vaccines from Belgium to the United States. To minimize the potential threat to delivery and distribution, we are not in a position to provide express main points at vaccine production and storage locations,” he said. Read.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that United Airlines charter flights position vaccine doses for immediate distribution if approved.
Pfizer has a distribution in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, where its vaccine is stored. There may also be others in the country where the vaccine will be stored before approval.
There are now promising candidates for the COVID vaccine: here’s what we know about them.
The FAA’s COVID-19 air transport team was established in October to deal with disorders similar to air shipment of vaccines.
“The FAA provides 24-hour air traffic to keep air shipment moving and prioritize flights with items such as vaccines, and the body of workers critical to the nation’s reaction and COVID-19 recovery,” the firm said in a statement.
The need for giant amounts of dry snow is one of the reasons why the FAA is involved, which classifies dry ice as a hazardous material.
The Pfizer vaccine should be stored at extremely cold temperatures of less than 94 degrees Fahrenheit or less. The company has designed a special shipping container the length of a carry-on suitcase containing approximately 20 pounds of dry ice to keep the vaccine at the required temperature.
The amount of dry snow that an aircraft can bring is limited through the FDA, because when dry ice is sublimate in a gaseous form of carbon dioxide, it can affect the amount of oxygen in the air, which could cause suffocation in confined and poorly ventilated spaces.
“The FAA is working with manufacturers, air carriers and the airport government to provide recommendations on implementing existing regulatory needs for the safe transport of giant amounts of dry ice in air cargo,” he said.