US says ready for immediate domestic shipment of COVID-19 vaccines

The US Transportation Department said Tuesday it has made preparations to enable the “immediate mass shipment” of COVID-19 vaccines and completed all necessary regulatory measures. The department said US agencies have been coordinating with private sector companies that will carry vaccines from manufacturing facilities to distribution centers and inoculation points. It added it has established “appropriate safety requirements for all potential hazards involved in shipping the vaccine, including standards for dry ice and lithium batteries used in cooling.” The department is preparing to ensure deliveries of vaccine doses for about 40 million US residents through January, or about 20m a month, officials said. Healthcare workers and others recommended for the first inoculations could start getting shots within 24 hours after the vaccine receives regulatory authorization, the chief adviser for the US government’s Operation Warp Speed program said Tuesday.<br/>