America Has Two COVID-19 Vaccines. Now What?

WAMU 88.5 | By Kathryn Fink

Published January 4, 2021 at 3:42 PM EST

Vials of undiluted Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to administer to staff and residents at the Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads, a senior living community in Falls Church, Virginia.

After months of research, news coverage and anticipation, health officials are injecting people in the United States with two approved COVID-19 vaccines, made by pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna.

But there are some problems with how the vaccines are being distributed. Many doses of vaccine are set to expire without ever having been used. In addition, some eligible Americans in desperate need are having a tough time figuring out where and if they can get vaccinated.

Officials are hoping to accelerate the vaccination process as the United States has now passed 350,000 COVID-related deaths. In addition, American air travel just hit a pandemic high and we continue to learn more about a new variant of COVID-19 originating in the United Kingdom.

Why has the vaccine rollout been so fraught? And what questions do you have about what it’s like to get vaccinated?