WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The first shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will begin arriving in U.S. states Monday, U.S. media quoted an official as saying on Saturday.

Shipping companies UPS and FedEx will deliver the vaccine to nearly 150 state locations, U.S. media quoted Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed, as saying.

Perna said the vaccine was timed to arrive Monday morning so that health workers would be available to receive the shots and then begin giving them.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday issued authorization for emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine of American drugmaker Pfizer in partnership with German company BioNTech, the first COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.

The emergency use authorization allows the vaccine to be distributed in the country.

The FDA said the totality of the available data provides clear evidence that Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may be effective in preventing COVID-19.

The data also show that the known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks, supporting the vaccine's use in millions of people 16 years of age and older, said the FDA.