Biden announces additional 200M COVID-19 vaccine doses secured
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that the White House has secured an additional 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
The president made the announcement during his tour at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, on Thursday. Biden said the government on Thursday afternoon formalized its contract with Pfizer and German company BioNTech, the maker of the first COVID-19 vaccine to see emergency use approval in the U.S., for an additional 100 million doses. The government also formalized its contract with Moderna, the maker of the second vaccine to see emergency use approval, for an additional 100 million doses as well.
In the race to vaccinate Americans as quickly as possible, the additional doses will be used to innoculate some 300 million people by the end of July, Biden said, as both jabs require two doses.
Overall, the additional 200 million doses will increase the country's vaccine supply by about 50%, to 600 million total doses.
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"We have now purchased enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all Americans," Biden said.
Additionally, the president when making the announcement said that Pfizer and Moderna are slated to deliver a previous order of 200 million doses by late May, a month sooner than initially expected.
With more doses secured, the country is also on track to meet the administration's goal of vaccinating 100 million people in its first 100 days, Biden added.
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The news comes after Biden on Jan. 26 indicated that his administration was attempting to secure the additional 200 million doses.
To date, 34.7 million people have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna jab, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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