NEW YORK, Dec 21 (Reuters) - About 50 million people in the
United States will have had the first of two COVID-19 shots
needed for immunization by the end of January, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said
on Monday.
Azar was speaking at a press conference on the first day of
shots of Moderna Inc.'s vaccine and the roll out of the
Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE vaccine to nursing
homes.
The first shots have been designated for healthcare workers
and nursing homes. Azar said he expects the vaccines to be
available through more general vaccination approaches, like in
pharmacies or doctors' offices, in late February and into March.
(Reporting by Michael Erman in New York and Manas Mishra in
Bengalaru,)