Warp Speed Boss Has Target Date for First Shot

The head of the US effort to produce a coronavirus vaccine says the first immunizations could happen on Dec. 12. A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is set to meet Dec. 10 to discuss Pfizer Inc.'s request for an emergency use authorization for its developing COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech recently announced that the vaccine appears 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease in a large, ongoing study. Dr. Moncef Slaoui, head of the Operation Warp Speed, the coronavirus vaccine program, said plans are to ship vaccines to states within 24 hours of expected FDA approval, the AP reports. Slaoui told CNN on Sunday that he expects vaccinations would begin on the second day after approval, Dec. 12. He said the timeline has not been affected by political pressure, per CNN. (More coronavirus vaccine stories.)