By The Division of Well being and Human Providers with the Division of Protection in the present day introduced they are going to buy one other 100 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Officers are assured that this deal will be certain that there are sufficient vaccines out there for each American who desires one by June 2021, HHS Secretary Alex Azar mentioned.
Below the settlement, Pfizer will manufacture and distribute the 100 million doses to government-designated areas. Not less than 70 million doses will likely be delivered by the tip of June 2021, with the remaining doses to be delivered by the tip of July.
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The federal authorities and Pfizer’s settlement contains the choice to buy an extra 400 million doses of the vaccine as part of “ongoing coordination” between the 2, HHS mentioned.
WHY THIS MATTERS
With these extra doses, HHS says it is going to be in a position to seamlessly transition from the primary 100 million doses it procured earlier this yr. It is part of the federal government’s bigger technique to supply continued availability of a protected and efficient COVID-19 vaccine to all People.
The federal authorities has now bought 200 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The vaccine is being supplied for free of charge to People and the administration prices will likely be coated by both personal insurance coverage, Medicare or Medicaid, or HHS’ program to cowl COVID-19 prices for the uninsured utilizing supplier aid funds.
THE LARGER TREND
Earlier this month studies from the New York Instances, The Related Press and feedback from Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Meals and Drug Administration and a member of Pfizer’s board of administrators, got here out that the Trump administration declined “a number of” alternatives to safe extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
HHS did take the chance to buy an extra 100 million doses of the Moderna vaccine final week.
Thus far, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the one two to obtain emergency use authorization from the Meals and Drug Administration.
Simply this week, practically 8 million doses of the 2 vaccines had been distributed throughout the nation. By the tip of subsequent week, 11 million doses will likely be distributed to the American folks, officers mentioned. By the tip of the yr, an estimated 20 million doses will likely be allotted.
In the meantime, Operation Warp Pace has begun working with jurisdictions on the supply of the second dose of vaccines, based on Common Gustave Perna, the chief working officer for Operation Warp Pace.
“We have established an elaborate communication technique in any respect ranges to ensure everyone’s monitoring this,” he mentioned throughout a press name Wednesday. “We all know how to do that. America is aware of how to do that. We have accomplished second doses earlier than.”
ON THE RECORD
“Securing extra doses from Pfizer and BioNTech for supply within the second quarter of 2021 additional expands our provide of doses throughout the Operation Warp Pace portfolio,” mentioned HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “This new federal buy can provide People much more confidence that we’ll have sufficient provide to vaccinate each American who desires it by June 2021.”
