Slaoui says U.S. to send 8 million vaccine doses to states

The head of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed said states will be shipped just under 8 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine Monday.

“We now are clear that we will be shipping 5.9 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and two million doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday. And that’s what will happen,” Moncef Slaoui said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “And we are increasing the level of communication with the governors in order to make sure that there are no mistakes that happen or miscommunication.”

Slaoui addressed reports from some states that they have not received the promised shipments of the vaccine yet, saying “We all made the error or mistake of assuming that vaccine that’s actually produced and being released is already available for shipment, when, in fact, there is a two-days lag between the time at which we generate a lot of data that shows this vaccine vial is actually safe and right and the time we can ship it.”

“The FDA has to receive certain documentation,” he added. “And that’s really where that lag period has resulted in differences in between what was in the plan and what was actually done. I think we have addressed that.”

Slaoui emphasized to CNN’s Jake Tapper that shipping the vaccines, manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer is “not making watches.”

“This is making living things or at least involving leaving things in the way we produce vaccines. And we don’t control everything 100 percent,” he added. “And unless it’s perfectly right, we will not release vaccine doses for usage. And, sometimes, there could be small hiccups.”