The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked the states to expedite approval for vaccine distribution sites by November 1.

The agency had written a letter addressed to state governors on August 27. In the letter, the CDC asked states to remove barriers and expedite the approval medical supplier McKesson to help it set up distribution sites for Covid-19 vaccines by November 1, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Food and Drug Administration is likely to approve the vaccine as a licensed vaccine for distribution or grant it Emergency Use Authorization as per the report.

The agency will identify critical population for initial vaccine doses. These doses will likely be administered twice.

CDC in the letter stated that it is likely to procure nearly two million doses by the end of October and another 10 million to 20 million doses by November end.

The news comes along the heels of concerns over the White House’s early approval of a Covid-19 vaccine.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in an interview with the Financial Times had said that it would be appropriate to grant a EUA to a Covid-19 vaccine before the completion of Phase 3 clinical trials.

Concerns were raised over the statement, including those from the World Health Organization.

The administration had pushed back against the concerns. Hahn in a tweet on Wednesday had said, “We all recognize that the public will have confidence in our decisions only if they are supported by the science. My personal commitment is to assure that all decisions meet FDA’s standard. The patient and the public always come first.”

FDA is planning a meeting with its Vaccine Advisory Committee. The meeting will be held on October 22.

Meanwhile, top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci in an interview with MSNBC had said that the initial data on vaccines’ safety and efficacy could be available as soon as November or December.