dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

VACCINE ROLLOUT BEGINS United Airlines flies FIRST batches of Pfizer Covid vaccine into US in refrigerated cases to prep for mass distribution

Kassidy Vavra

Nov 27 2020, 19:12 ETUpdated: Nov 27 2020, 22:10 ET

UNITED Airlines has begun charter flights bringing the first batches of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine into the US.

The flights with refrigerated cases of the vaccines come as the pharma giant works to ensure states have shots ready for mass distribute once given the green light from the FDA, the Wall Street Journal reported.

United was said to have begun the first flights with batches of the vaccine the same day that Covid cases in the US soared past 13million on Friday.

A source also told Reuters that flights were used to transport the first batch of vaccines - which Pfizer has said are 90 per cent effective - as the FDA prepares to meet on Tuesday to see who will receive the shots first.

Although the vaccines were reportedly transported into the US, they will not be given to Americans until if and when Pfizer is granted the emergency approval by the FDA.

The final assembly site in the US for the vaccines is in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Journal reports of the distribution plan.

There is also a final assembly site in Puurs, Belgium.

Pfizer also has distribution sites in the US in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, and in Karlsruhe, Germany.

The company plans to increase storage capacity at the Wisconsin and Germany sites, according to the Journal.

United Airlines could not provide details specific to flights transporting the vaccines.

"United Cargo established a COVID Readiness Task Team earlier this summer to help ensure we have the right people, products, services, and partnerships in place to support a vaccine distribution effort on a global scale," a spokesperson said in a statement to The Sun.

"We have made a commitment to our pharmaceutical and medical customers that we are ready to safely and effectively support their vaccines transportation needs.

"The safety and security of these commodities is our priority and we are proud to be a trusted partner in these efforts," United added.

The full rollout of the vaccine is expected to begin by mid-December, a top coronavirus task force official said earlier this week.

According to an FAA letter dated November 24 seen by the Journal, United planned to run flights from Brussels International Airport and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to help vaccine rollout.

In addition to the reported flights with the first batch of shots, United has also sought FAA approval to use more dry ice than is usually allowed on flights, the Journal reported.

This is part of an effort to ensure the vaccines can be kept at a low temperature to prevent them from going bad.

United is now allowed by the FDA to carry 15,000 pounds of dry ice on each flight, according to the Journal.

This is five times the normal amount allowed on a plane, the outlet reported.

The FAA on Friday said it is backing the “first mass air shipment of a vaccine,” the Journal reported.

As Pfizer reported the vaccine was shown to be 95percent effective in clinical trials, there's hope that once it's given the go-ahead, it could be sent out in mere hours.

The FDA's scientific advisers are set to review Pfizer's request on December 10, the Associated Press reported.

The group will then send a recommendation to the FDA.

(continued w/link)

https://www.the-sun.com/news/1872591/united-flights-pfizer-vaccine-charter-fda-approval/