The boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine are ready to be shipped to the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo factory on December 13, 2020 in Portage, Michigan.
Morry Gash | Getty Images
The Biden administration is increasing the number of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine sent to the states weekly, sending 13.5 million doses this week and doubling the number going to pharmacies, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki , on Tuesday.
Last week, the government was sending 11 million doses to the states every week. Overall, Psaki noted, the government has increased the number of doses sent weekly to states by 57% since President Joe Biden took office on January 20.
Psaki also announced that the White House is doubling the number of doses sent directly to retail pharmacies across the country, expanding from 1 million doses sent to 6,500 pharmacies last week. Psaki said the White House will send 2 million doses a week to stores in the future and plans to expand to 40,000 stores nationwide.
“This program will expand access to neighborhoods across the country so that people can call and make an appointment and get their chance conveniently and quickly,” she said. “This is a critical part of our plan.”
The administration has announced gradual increases in the amount of vaccine distributed each week, while opening new distribution channels, such as pharmacies, community health centers and vaccination centers administered by the federal government. After a slower-than-expected initial release of the vaccine, many states now say the lack of supply from the federal government is the biggest constraint.
The pace of vaccination across the country has increased in recent weeks, and the difference between doses distributed and doses administered has narrowed. More than 52.8 million doses have been administered until Sunday, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of 70 million doses delivered to the states.
Biden announced last week that the United States has secured 100 million more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 100 million more of the Modern vaccine, increasing the total US supply to 600 million doses. The Food and Drug Administration is also expected to authorize Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 one-shot vaccine for emergency use later this month.
It is unlikely to be an immediate benefit to the supply, but it will help increase the number of doses available to Americans in late spring and summer. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a White House health consultant, said on Tuesday that by May the vaccine could be available to any American who desires it, a little later than his previous prediction of opening access to the vaccine in April .
“It may take until June, July and August to finally vaccinate everyone”, he said on CNN. “So when you hear about how long it will take to vaccinate the overwhelming proportion of the population, I don’t think anyone would disagree that this is going to be okay by the end of the summer and we will get to the beginning of the fall.”