[News] In the United States there are 40 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine ready to use, according to official

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According to General Gustave Perna, of the Warp Speed (speed of light) vaccination program, set up by the US government to have a coronavirus vaccine faster than usual, there are about 40 million doses ready to distribute quickly if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants emergency authorization to market it.

Perna told ABC that states will decide, with guidance from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who will be the first to receive the vaccine.

Pfizer has already asked the FDA to grant emergency authorization for its vaccine, initiating a process that would allow the first inoculations in early December. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech presented preliminary data that their vaccine would be 95% effective.

Perna said that the "states will tell us exactly where they want it to be ... and as soon as they draw up distribution plans in the states, we will guarantee that the vaccine arrives in a timely manner."

The first to receive the vaccine will predictably be healthcare workers and the most vulnerable people, such as residents of nursing homes. Experts say distribution to the general public will not begin before April or May.