Media Statement from CDC Director Robert R. Redfield on Vaccine Milestone

The United States achieved an early but important milestone today – jurisdictions have now reported that more than 1 million people have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine since administration began 10 days ago.

With cases of COVID-19 continuing to surge nationwide, this achievement comes at a critical time and will help to protect those on the frontlines – our healthcare providers treating COVID-19 patients – as well as our most vulnerable: elder individuals living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

While we celebrate this historic milestone, we also acknowledge the challenging path ahead. There is currently a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., but supply will increase in the weeks and months to come. The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as large enough quantities are available.

CDC, along with DoD and other federal partners, continues to work closely with state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to combat the spread of COVID-19, and distribute COVID-19 vaccine doses as quickly as possible to accomplish vaccination of the American public.

Vaccination is a critical tool in bringing this unprecedented pandemic to an end. But until every person in the U.S. is able to get a COVID-19 vaccine, we continue to ask Americans to embrace proven public health strategies including social distancing, good hand hygiene, and wearing a mask in public to reduce the risk of transmission and protect our communities.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether disease start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.