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22:02 GMT
WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (KUNA) -- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) announced Sunday that it has "accepted" the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) recommendation of the first authorized Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine "for people age 16 and older."
CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in a statement "this official CDC recommendation follows Friday's FDA decision to authorize the emergency use of Pfizer's vaccine."
"As COVID-19 cases continue to surge throughout the USCDC's recommendation comes at a critical time," he stressed.
He indicated that coronavirus vaccination "is set to start as early as Monday, and this is the next step in our efforts to protect Americans, reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and help restore some normalcy to our lives and our country."
Chief operating officer for Operation Warp Speed Gustave Perna said earlier "we expect 145 sites across all the states to receive the vaccine on Monday," adding "another 425 sites on Tuesday and the final 66 sites on Wednesday, which will complete the initial delivery of the Pfizer orders for the vaccine."
On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the US. (end)
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