First U.S. COVID-19 vaccine shipments arrive Monday morning - Gen. Perna

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Army General Gustave Perna testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing to co-lead Operation Warp Speed, an effort to find a vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S. June 18, 2020. Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The first U.S. COVID-19 vaccine shipments will arrive at 145 locations around the country on Monday morning, U.S. Army General Gus Perna said on Saturday during a press briefing.

The United States authorized the Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine on Friday evening. Perna, who is chief operating officer of the government's Operation Warp Speed program, said it would start to ship the vaccine on Sunday.