The United States vaccinated more than 2.4 million people against COVID-19 in 24 hours, a new daily record

More than 2.4 million people received a COVID-19 vaccine this Friday, a new record in the country’s vaccination campaign, the speed of which has increased dramatically in recent weeks.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Over 114 million vaccines have already been distributed nationwide, of which over 85 million have been applied. According to the site specializing in statistics Our world in data, the country is fourth in the world in number of vaccines applied per 100 inhabitants, only after the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

These figures show that 16.7 percent of the population received one dose of the vaccine, while 8.6 percent received two.. From this week, the North American country also began administering the inoculant developed by Johnson & Johnson, which only requires a single dose.

Therefore, the percentage of the second category will not have to reach that of the first for those in it to be considered fully immunized. However, the offer of this vaccine will initially be lower than that promised by the pharmaceutical company, which encountered logistical problems: Nearly 4 million doses are expected to ship this week, with around 20 million by the end of March..

To remedy these limitations, the company has entered into an agreement with its long-standing competitor Merck. The deal was negotiated by the White House and is expected to significantly increase production capacity.

Under the agreement, Merck will dedicate two of its facilities in the United States to the production of Johnson & Johnson doses. One will provide “fill and finish” services, the last step in the production process where the vaccine substance is placed in vials and packaged for distribution..

The other will manufacture the vaccine and has the potential to dramatically increase supply, if not double what Johnson & Johnson could do on their own.

The Biden administration’s efforts to increase production of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine suggest that it believes the vaccine plays a very important role in addressing future challenges, such as the possible need for inoculants for children and possibly boosters to counter coronavirus variants.

The announcement will help the United States enough vaccine is purchased to inoculate its entire adult population by May, two months ahead of schedule. This was announced by President Joe Biden this week, who also said he will use the powers of the federal government to order all states to prioritize teacher immunizations, and that the federal government will provide the doses directly. via its application program in pharmacies. .

As a result, Biden has asked governors to prepare for their vaccine supplies to continue to increase in the coming weeks. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines – the others approved – to increase to 15.2 million doses per week, up from 14.5 million previously.

In an appeal with governors on Tuesday, Jeff Zients, a White House adviser on the coronavirus, said the States they are expected to prepare to administer a total of 16 to 17 million weekly doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by the end of March, with the number reaching 17 to 18 million per week by early April. The supply of J&J doses to States, which is expected to decline after the initial shipment this week, will increase to 4-6 million weekly doses by the end of March and 5-6 million weekly doses through the end of April.

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