American citizens could be immunised with the Pfizer vaccine as early as on Monday or Tuesday, as the US Food and Drug Administration is set to authorise its use within days.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, speaking on ABC News's "Good Morning America" programme, said that the federal government is also planning to work with the company on shipping the vaccine.
The FDA advisory panel earlier overwhelmingly voted in favour of allowing the use of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in the country.
The Pfizer vaccine is the first inoculation against the coronavirus to be given a green light by the FDA. The agency is also weighing authorisation for an immuniser developed by Moderna Inc.
The Pfizer vaccine is expected to be rolled out first to healthcare workers and long-term nursing home residents under a massive mobilisation effort carried out by the US Army under the Trump administration’s “Operation Warp Speed” project.
People who get one of the two COVID-19 vaccines should get their second shot 21 or 28 days after the first one, according to the manufacturers.
