By Julie Steenhuysen and Manojna Maddipatla

(Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday set an Oct. 16 deadline for states to submit plans for distributing COVID-19 vaccines – even before it becomes clear when any will be available – according to a presentation to a panel of experts who make recommendations on U.S. vaccines.

The plan is to take into account specific requirements, such as cold storage necessary for vaccines currently in late-stage clinical trials by Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc, provided to the states on Sept. 16.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of external medical experts that advises the CDC, had been expected to vote on Tuesday on which population groups should get scarce initial doses of any vaccine that receives approval or emergency use authorization from U.S. regulators. https://bit.ly/2FUqi5s

A CDC spokeswoman said on Tuesday the vote would