Sunday shows preview: Nation gears up for inoculation following FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the Pfizer and BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use and the planned distribution of doses across the country are expected to dominate this week’s Sunday talk shows. 

On Friday, the FDA authorized the coronavirus vaccine that clinical trials have shown to be 95 percent effective at preventing the infection with no severe side effects. 

The announcement comes as the country reels from a new surge of COVID-19 infections, with deaths now exceeding 3,000 people each day.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn is expected to appear on both ABC’s “This Week” and CNN’s “State of the Union.” 

The news from the federal agency comes as Hahn denied concerns that political pressure from the White House led to the authorization decision Friday. Multiple media reports surfaced this week claiming that White House chief of staff Mark Meadows threatened Hahn’s job security if the agency did not approve the candidate.

Operation Warp Speed head Gen. Gustave Perna said Saturday that initial doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine will be delivered to states starting Monday morning. 

Later Saturday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine for people ages 16 and older. 

The final step to allow the administration of vaccines is an acceptance of the committee recommendation by CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield, which is expected to take place within hours. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is set to appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, and NBC’s “Meet the Press” is expected to host the director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins. 

Moncef Slaoui, the scientific head of Operation Warp Speed, said this week that the U.S. will be able to distribute 2.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine upon approval. Slaoui will be on “Fox News Sunday.” 

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows: 

ABC’s “This Week” — Hahn; Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.); Walgreens Senior Vice President Rick Gates.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Collins; Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn).

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Azar; Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.); Robert Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Hahn; voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams; Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates; Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.); former Vice President Al Gore.

“Fox News Sunday” — Slaoui; Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.); Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). 

Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chairman, Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Government Affairs; Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R); Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee; Gen. Michael Flynn, Former National Security Adviser; Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Budget Committee. 

“America This Week with Eric Bolling” — Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.); Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio); Angela Masden, owner of “Pineapple Hut”; Richard Grenell- former Acting Director of National Intelligence; Austan Goolsbee, former Obama Economic Adviser; Rob Smith, Turning Point USA.