Approving a coronavirus vaccine is only the first step toward suppressing the pandemic, as countries race to build distribution networks to deliver the doses to their populations, World Health Organization officials said on Wednesday.
The U.K. earlier Wednesday became the first country to authorize the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use, paving the way to begin inoculating its population as early as next week. In the U.S., Pfizer and Moderna have now applied for emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for their vaccines, which could be given the green light in just a few weeks.