New COVID-19 vaccine is on the way

New COVID-19 vaccine is on the way

FILE - In this July 27, 2020, file photo, nurse Kathe Olmstead prepares a shot that is part of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., in Binghamton, N.Y. Moderna said Monday, Nov. 16, 2020, its COVID-19 shot provides strong protection against the coronavirus that's surging in the U.S. and around the world. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)

Initial shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. left a distribution center Sunday,

The trucks left the factory in the Memphis area with the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.

The Pfizer and Moderna shots shipped so far and going out over the next few weeks are nearly all going to health care workers and residents of long-term care homes, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

There won’t be enough shots for the general population until spring, so doses will be rationed at least for the next several months.

Photo: (AP Photo)