NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- The first doses of the COVID vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech rolled out of a manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Sunday, kicking off a months-long effort to get millions of Americans immunized.
The vaccines, which were packed in dry ice, will go from the Pfizer manufacturing facility to UPS and FedEx hubs before heading out to 636 locations nationwide this week. The first shipments were set to arrive at 145 distribution centers Monday and another 425 sites on Tuesday. The final 66 sites will receive it on Wednesday.
Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant on December 13, 2020 in Portage, Michigan. (Morry Gash - Pool/Getty Images
About 3 million doses are expected to be delivered initially, with priority going to health care workers and nursing home residents—those among the most at risk of catching the virus, which has infected about 16 million people and killed nearly 300,000 in the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee on Saturday voted to recommend use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in individuals 16 and older. Vaccines cannot be administered until CDC chief Dr. Robert Redfield accepts the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendation.
Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant on December 13, 2020 in Portage, Michigan.Morry Gash - Pool/Getty Images
Gen. Gus Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, said Saturday that he expected the first shipments of Pfizer's COVID vaccine to arrive Monday morning at sites across the U.S.
"Make no mistake, distribution has begun," Perna said at a press conference. "Right now, boxes are being packed and loaded with vaccine, with emphasis on quality control."
Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant on December 13, 2020 in Portage, Michigan.Morry Gash - Pool/Getty Images
"This is a monumental week for us all as we distribute the first millions of doses of vaccines to the American people," Perna added. "But each week that follows, we will have more doses ready for allocation and distribution. We are also posturing to phase in the Moderna vaccine if they receive an EUA."
The FDA authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on Friday night, following an advisory panel's recommendation on Thursday that the vaccine's benefits outweigh its risks for individuals 16 and over.
Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant on December 13, 2020 in Portage, Michigan.Morry Gash - Pool/Getty Images
Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant on December 13, 2020 in Portage, Michigan.Morry Gash - Pool/Getty Images
Morry Gash - Pool/Getty Images
Morry Gash - Pool/Getty Images
Morry Gash - Pool/Getty Images
