Boxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are moved to the loading dock for shipping at the McKesson distribution centre in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
Moderna's vaccine, which also requires two doses, comes under the umbrella of the government's own effort, which is called Operation Warp Speed. That public-private endeavour was designed to have millions of vaccine doses ready and available to ship once a shot received FDA approval. The Associated Press previously reported that the US government was close to reaching a new deal with Pfizer in exchange for helping the pharmaceutical giant gain better access to manufacturing supplies.A law dating back to the Korean War gives the government authority to direct private companies to produce critical goods in times of national emergency. Called the Defense Production Act, it's expected to be invoked to help Pfizer secure some raw materials needed for its vaccine.
Pfizer already had a contract to supply the government with 100 million doses of its vaccine under Operation Warp Speed, but government officials have said it's more of an arms-length relationship with the company and they don't have as much visibility into its operations.
Operation Warp Speed is on track to have about 40 million doses of vaccine by the end of this month, of which about 20 million would be allocated for first vaccinations. Distribution of those doses would span into the first week of January. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots to be fully effective.– Reported with Associated Press
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