Five doses of COVID-19 vaccine is held by SPC Angel Laureano at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda
NEWARK, N.J. (Reuters) – The United States expanded its rollout of the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine to hundreds of additional distribution centers on Tuesday, inoculating thousands more healthcare workers in a mass immunization expected to reach the general public in the coming months.
Distribution of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE began on Monday, three days after it won U.S. emergency-use authorization, opening a new front in the battle against a pandemic claiming more than 2,400 U.S. lives a day.
The first New Jerseyan to receive a vaccine for Covid-19 was a nurse at University Hospital in Newark who was celebrating her birthday on Tuesday.
Prior to getting the vaccine, the technician administering the dose asked Maritza Beniquez, 56, if she had been exposed to Covid-19 in the last 14 days.
“Yes,“ said Beniquez, who works in the hospital’s emergency room. “Every day.”
Moments later, ambulatory care technician Sady Ferguson injected the Pfizer vaccine into Beniquez’s right arm. Beniquez leaned back and clapped as University Hospital officials, Gov. Phil Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy, Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli and Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo looked on.
New Jersey s first COVID-19 vaccines to be given Tuesday morning pix11.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pix11.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
NYC Sees Post-Holiday Closing; Colorado Toll Rises: Virus Update
Bloomberg 12/15/2020 Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) Moderna Inc.’s vaccine was deemed safe by U.S. regulators, clearing the way for a second shot to quickly gain emergency authorization. In Europe, regulators will review Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine earlier than planned amid growing pressure to approve it quickly.
British authorities will hold talks on Christmas coronavirus rules after a surge in infections fueled demands from medical experts to stop households socializing over the holiday. Denmark is extending local lockdowns to the entire country, while Italy’s prime minister is mulling further curbs to slow cases during the festive season.
Coronavirus live updates: Breakthrough home test gets OK from FDA; 1 in 6 who share home with COVID patient will get sick Jorge L. Ortiz, Jessica Flores and Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY
COVID-19 has now killed 300,000 Americans
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USA TODAY is keeping track of the news surrounding COVID-19 as vaccines begin to roll out nationwide. Just this week, the US marked the stark milestone of more than 300,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic
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Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates on vaccine distribution, including who is getting the shots and where, as well as other important COVID-19 news from across the USA TODAY Network.