Trucks with Johnson & Johnson’s recently approved Covid-19 vaccine began rolling out to states and locations looking for more doses to boost vaccinations on Monday.
McKesson Corp., which acts as the centralized distributor for J&J vaccines, is working with FedEx and UPS to ship the doses nationwide. The shipments are expected to reach states and vaccination sites as early as Tuesday, Biden’s government said.
A spokeswoman for FedEx Corp. said pickup had begun at a McKesson factory in Olive Branch, Miss. The shipping company uses its distribution center in Memphis, Tennessee, to deliver the doses nationwide.
UPS trucks picked up the J&J vaccine Monday at a McKesson facility in Shepherdsville, Ky., And took them to a UPS center in Louisville, Ky., A United Parcel Service Inc. spokesman said. The doses are then flown to UPS locations across the country for delivery by vehicle Tuesday morning.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the J&J vaccine on Saturday. The pharmaceutical company had made nearly four million doses for the first shipment. The government said it expects about 20 million doses by the end of March.