These Are the Only 14 States That Haven't Received COVID Vaccine Shipments

After months of 'round the clock research and development, the first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccines were officially sent out for delivery around the U.S. on Dec. 13. The arrival of the precious cargo in many areas marks a monumental turning point in the pandemic that has so far claimed over 300,000 American lives and infected more than 16.5 million people in the U.S. But despite all 50 states being slated to receive their own shipments in the coming days, CNN reports, there are still 14 that haven't received the COVID vaccine yet. Read on to see which areas are still waiting, and for more on when you might get your shots, check out Dr. Fauci Just Said You'll Be Able to Get the COVID Vaccine Even Sooner.

The initial coveted vaccines began shipping out just barely 36 hours after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted to approve the vaccine for emergency use late on Dec. 11 and just 24 hours after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted to recommend it for people aged 16 and older. The first trucks carrying doses out of a Pfizer production plant in Portage, Michigan, saw cheering crowds along their route.

The first recorded non-trial vaccination took place early in the morning on Dec. 14 in Queens, New York, where a healthcare worker received her shot in the same borough that felt most of the pandemic's initial force. "I've been hopeful today," Sandra Lindsay, director of critical care nursing at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, told reporters moments after being the first person to be vaccinated in the U.S., according to The New York Times. "I feel like healing is coming. I hope this marks the beginning of the end in a very painful time in our history."

But while all 50 states should receive shipments of vaccines within days of the initial rollout, only 36 states—plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico—had received their first round of COVID vaccinations as of Dec. 14. Read on to see which places are still waiting, and for more on how the outbreak is looking where you live, check out This Is How Bad the COVID Outbreak Is in Your State.

Read the original article on Best Life.

And for more on what your symptoms might be telling you, check out This Is How to Tell If Your Cough Is COVID, Doctors Say.