WASHINGTON -- Initial deliveries of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine should start on Tuesday, helping to boost vaccination rates across the country, senior administration officials said on Sunday.

The officials acknowledged that vaccination rates among minorities were "not where we ultimately want them to be," but said federal officials were closely monitoring distribution to ensure it was equitable.

They urged everyone in the United States to get a vaccination as soon as it was their turn, and said Black and brown Americans should understand that safeguards had been put in place after past cases of discrimination in the medical field.