The United States Strikes New Deal with Pfizer for Extra 100 Million Doses
The US government initially secured 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, capable of vaccinating 50 million people as each individual requires two shots. Facing criticism for not obtaining more doses and amid Pfizer’s commitments to other nations, the government went back to the negotiation table to secure an additional order of vaccines.
After negotiations, the US and Pfizer have finalized a deal for an extra 100 million doses of the vaccine for a payment of $1.95 billion, doubling the existing cache to reach a total of 200 million doses, sufficient to vaccinate 100 million people. The rollout of the new doses is expected, with approximately 70 million doses ready by June 2021 and the remaining 30 million by July 2021.
Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, highlighted, “This new acquisition ensures that there will be enough supply to vaccinate every American willing to take the vaccine by June 2021.”
BREAKING: Pfizer and BioNTech to supply an extra 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the US under a new agreement. https://t.co/iCtYMn1u43
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 23, 2020
The US also has 200 million doses of Moderna’s approved vaccine in the pipeline. With a combined total of 400 million doses from Pfizer and Moderna, the US aims to vaccinate 200 million people, around two-thirds of the population. Concerns arose over Pfizer’s production capacity due to the increased order, but the company has refuted such claims, confirming that production remains on track.
A Pfizer spokesperson stated, “There are no production issues with the COVID-19 vaccine, and shipments are proceeding as scheduled.”
