WASHINGTON — The nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine will begin arriving in states Monday morning, U.S. officials said Saturday, after the government gave the final go-ahead to the shots needed to end an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.

Trucks will roll out Sunday morning as shipping companies UPS and FedEx begin delivering Pfizer’s vaccine to nearly 150 distribution centers across the states, said Army Gen. Gustave Perna of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine development program. An additional 425 sites will get shipments Tuesday, and the remaining 66 on Wednesday.

Initially, about 3 million doses were expected to be shipped nationwide. It was unclear exactly who would receive the first shots, though health care workers and nursing home residents were the priority. Perna said health authorities would decide.

A similar number of shots will be held back for those recipients’ second dose, which is needed for full protection from COVID-19.

The announcement Saturday kicks off a massive logistical operation involving the federal and state governments, private companies and health care workers to quickly distribute limited vaccine supplies throughout the U.S. It offers hope in a country grappling with surging COVID-19 infections and deaths, which are overwhelming hospitals and raising fears that things will only get worse as people gather over the holidays.

Perna compared the vaccine distribution effort to D-Day, the U.S.-led military offensive that turned the tide in World War II.

“D-Day was the beginning of the end and that’s where we are today,” Perna said a news conference. But he added that it would take months of work and “diligence, courage and strength to eventually achieve victory.”

MaineHealth, a network of 12 hospitals based in Portland, plans to provide an expected first delivery of nearly 2,000 vaccines to doctors, nurses and others facing risk as they treat COVID-19 patients, said Dr. Dora Mills, chief health improvement officer.

“It’s almost hard for me to talk about without tearing up,” Mills said Saturday. “This vaccine gives us some glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.”

The first shipments will leave Pfizer’s manufacturing plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, by truck and then be flown to regional hubs around the country. Medical distributor McKesson and pharmacy chains, including CVS and Rite-Aid, also are involved in the initial rollout and vaccinations at nursing homes and assisted living centers.

In a key distribution challenge, the vaccine, co-developed with BioNTech, must be stored and shipped at ultra-low temperatures — about 94 degrees below zero. Pfizer has developed shipping containers that use dry ice, and GPS-enabled sensors will allow the company to track each shipment and ensure it stays cold.

Distribution sites are mainly large hospitals and other facilities able to meet those ultra-cold storage requirements. Within three weeks, vaccines should be delivered to all vaccination sites identified by states, such as local pharmacies, Perna said.

The vaccine was timed to arrive Monday so health workers could receive the shots and begin giving them, Perna said.

New cases stem from people socializing outside their households

MINNEAPOLIS — New coronavirus patients say they socialized over Thanksgiving with people outside their households, despite emphatic public health warnings to stay home and keep their distance from others.

That’s what contact tracers and emergency room doctors are hearing repeatedly from patients across the country.

The virus was raging nationally even before Thanksgiving but was showing some signs of flattening out. It has picked up steam since, with new cases per day regularly climbing well over 200,000 by Friday.

That’s a 16 percent increase from the day before Thanksgiving, according to an Associated Press analysis. Deaths are averaging almost 2,260 per day over a seven-day period, about equal to the peak seen in mid-April when the New York City was under siege.

The dire outlook comes as the U.S. stands on the brink of a major vaccination campaign against COVID-19, with the Food and Drug Administration giving the final go-ahead Friday to use Pfizer’s shot.

The coronavirus has killed more than 295,000 Americans and infected 15.8 million.

Judge orders 50 percent reduction in Orange County jails

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A California judge has ordered a 50 percent reduction of the population in Orange County jails to protect people from a coronavirus outbreak.

Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson’s decision comes in response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union that says conditions at the jails violate the state’s constitution and disability discrimination law.

The county was ordered to file a plan with the court no later than Dec. 31. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes says his department is “evaluating the order, its impacts and our options for appeal.”

If the order stands, it could result in the release of more than 1,800 inmates, Barnes says. He says the latest outbreak at Orange County jails had 74 confirmed cases, 75 tests pending and more inmates waiting to be tested.

German officials call for strict new measures

BERLIN — Senior German officials are calling for tough new measures to curb the spread of coronavirus and record high cases.

The country’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, reported 28,438 confirmed cases in the past 24 hours and 496 deaths.

Germany, which had a much lower death rate than some of its large European neighbors in the spring, now has 1.3 million confirmed cases and 21,466 confirmed deaths since the start of the outbreak.

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz called for the swift closure of most stores and pledged financial support for affected businesses.

The governor of the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, says he expects a “hard lockdown” before Christmas.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to meet the governors of Germany’s 16 states on Sunday to discuss the next steps in containing the pandemic.

Tokyo reports 621 new cases

TOKYO — Tokyo reported 621 new coronavirus cases Saturday, setting a new record in the capital where a lack of government measures triggered concerns about a surge during the holiday season.

Nationwide, Japan reported a total of 174,000 cases, with about 2,500 deaths since the pandemic began.

Experts on a Tokyo metropolitan task force say serious cases are on the rise, putting burdens on hospitals and forcing many of them to scale back on care for other patients.

Japan issued a non-binding state of emergency in the spring and has survived earlier infection peaks without a lockdown.

The coronavirus task force on Friday asked the national government to take tougher steps to slow social and economic activities, such as suspension of out-of-town trips and requesting shorter business hours in areas where infections are accelerating.

Latest data shows ongoing measures have been ineffective and the situation could worsen during the holiday season.

New Zealand, Cook Islands plan travel bubble

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand and the Cook Islands say they plan to have a travel bubble in place early next year, which will allow people to fly between the two countries without going into quarantine.

The arrangement would represent the first travel bubble that New Zealand has agreed to since closing its borders when the coronavirus first hit earlier this year.

New Zealand has moved cautiously on restarting international travel after stamping out community spread of the virus. Australia is currently allowing many New Zealanders to arrive without going into quarantine but that arrangement isn’t yet reciprocal.

The Cook Islands, with a population of only about 10,000, is self-governing but has close ties to New Zealand under a free-association arrangement, and its economy relies on New Zealand tourists.

South Korea reports 950 new cases

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported another 950 coronavirus cases, its largest daily increase since the emergence of the pandemic, as fears grow about overwhelmed hospitals in the greater capital area.

The figures released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Saturday brought the country’s caseload to 41,736, after health officials added more than 8,900 cases in the last 15 days alone. Six COVID-19 patients died in the past 24 hours to bring the death toll to 578.

Most of the new cases came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where health workers have struggled to track transmissions that occur at hospitals, long-term care facilities, restaurants, saunas, schools and army units.

Infections were reported in other major urban centers, including Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan and Daegu, a southeastern city that was the epicenter of the spring outbreak.

The government had eased its social distancing restrictions to the lowest tier in October despite experts warning about a viral surge during colder weather, when people spend longer hours indoors.

Officials restored some restrictions in recent weeks, such as shutting nightclubs and allowing restaurants to provide only deliveries and takeout after 9 p.m., and could be forced to clamp down on economic activity further.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun says South Korea may have to elevate social distancing restrictions to the highest level, which includes a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people, school closures, a halt to to professional sports and requiring companies to have most of their employees work from home.

President Moon Jae-in in a Facebook message apologized for his government’s failure to contain the outbreak despite months of measures that hurt the economy. He pleaded for vigilance, saying the country was going through its “last crisis before the arrival of vaccines and treatment.”

Illegal basketball tournament leads to Santa Clara outbreak

SAN JOSE, Calif. — An outbreak of 77 coronavirus cases in Santa Clara County has been traced to an illegal youth basketball tournament held last month in Placer County.

Officials say those who tested positive attended the event Nov. 7 to 8 at Courtside Basketball Center in Rocklin. They included 39 middle- and high school players, three coaches and 35 additional contacts.

An additional 17 cases outside Santa Clara County have been traced to the tournament.

The California Department of Public Health has initiated an enforcement investigation involving the tournament operator.

New Mexico reports 43 deaths

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico health officials say another 43 people have died due to COVID-19 complications.

The number released Friday is among the highest daily death tolls for the state in recent weeks.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says her prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and she urged people to abide by the state’s public health restrictions.

Officials also reported 1,849 confirmed cases, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to 116,565.

New Mexico is preparing next week to receive its first round of vaccine doses. Officials say they will be delivered to frontline health care workers.

Alaska governor proposes large stimulus checks

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is proposing what he calls an extraordinary response to revive Alaska’s pandemic-stunted economy.

His proposal outlined Friday includes about $5,000 in direct payments to residents from the state’s oil-wealth fund and an infrastructure plan he said is intended to create jobs. He says Alaskans and businesses are suffering, and now is the time to act.

The state’s economy has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic, with tourism and hospitality industries hit hard. North Slope oil prices have been below $50 a barrel for much of the year.

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