WASHINGTON - An independent vaccine advisory group to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted Saturday to recommend American drugmaker Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years old and older.

The recommendation of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices came a day after the US Food and Drug Administration's authorization for the vaccine for emergency use.

The recommendation is up to CDC director Robert Redfield for a signature.

Packages of the Moderna vaccine are being packaged on Saturday for delivery on Monday, said Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed.

"Distribution of Moderna vaccine has already begun," Perna said at a Saturday morning news briefing.