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The United States expects almost all Americans to receive both doses.
President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that his administration is working with the makers of the coronavirus vaccines to purchase an additional 200 million doses that would arrive this summer – bringing the total to 600 million and ensuring that the United States will eventually receive two injections of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for nearly every American.
Biden also said the federal government would increase the number of doses shipped to states – from 8.6 million doses per week to 10 million per week for the next three weeks, and begin notifying states of the number of doses they will receive three weeks in advance. .
“We will both increase supply in the short term by over 15% and give our states and local partners more certainty as to when deliveries will arrive. These two steps will help us increase our chances of meeting or exceeding – God ready – the ambitious goal of 100 million shots in 100 days, “Biden said in a White House address Tuesday.
The announcement does not resolve the major shortages the country is currently experiencing, nor does it suggest that the Biden administration has found a new way to quickly increase production.
But Biden said that “God willing” this will allow millions more people to be vaccinated sooner than expected, warning that the “hard truth” is that it will take more months to get through most of the world. population.
“This will allow millions more Americans to get vaccinated sooner than expected. However, we have a long way to go,” he said.
It was expected to rise slightly to 10 million over the next three weeks as vaccine makers slowly ramping up supply and the US government already had the option of purchasing more doses under existing contracts.
Under President Donald Trump, the US government had already agreed to buy 200 million doses from Pfizer and 200 million from Moderna, which were delivered in July.
Because each vaccine requires two injections, those 400 million doses already purchased from Pfizer and Moderna would be enough to immunize approximately 200 million American adults. But tens of millions more people will need to be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity”.
Biden pointed out that the United States now expects 600 million doses of the two vaccines, enough for 300 million Americans to be fully immunized with both doses.
The FDA has not approved giving any of the available COVID-19 vaccines to children until the companies have completed more research. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people over the age of 16, while the Moderna vaccine is authorized for people over 18 years of age.
A senior administration official did not provide a specific timeline for the additional 200 million doses, but hailed the move as a guarantee that every American who wants an injection can get one.
The official said using the defense production law to increase supply remains an option. Examples include syringes and more specialized raw materials, although vaccine makers have said there isn’t much that can be done in the short term to increase supply quickly, as it’s very technical.
“We will do everything in our power to increase the supply and speed up the administration of the vaccine,” the official said.
And in a moment that showed a significant contrast to his predecessor, Biden also said masks were the best defense against the virus in the coming months, saying not wearing a mask was “not very American”.
“Over the next few months, masks – not vaccines – are the best defense against COVID-19. Experts say wearing masks by April alone would save 50,000 lives that will otherwise die if we don’t wear them. . This is why I am asking the American people to mask themselves for the first 100 days, ”he said.
He added “the point is, you want to be patriotic, you are going to protect people”.
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