White House press secretary Jen Psaki was pressured on Tuesday that the Biden government would take credit for a partnership between Johnson & Johnson and Merck to increase production of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine .
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine received emergency use authorization in late February, after participating in the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed. Psaki announced on Tuesday that the federal government would invoke the Defense Production Act to help Johnson & Johnson and Merck.
MERCK, JOHNSON & JOHNSON PARTNER IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COVID-19 VACCINES
“We wrote our first story in The New York Times about a possible partnership between Merck and [Johnson & Johnson] for manufacturing on January 21, “a reporter told Psaki during a news conference on Tuesday.
“My understanding is that negotiations between these companies are underway … could you help explain how the Biden government deserves credit for bringing these two together when it seems that the discussions were already underway before you got here?”
Victor Villegas, 78, right, receives COVID-19 vaccine from a health professional at a vaccination station in the Mission district of San Francisco, Monday, February 8, 2021. (AP Photo / Haven Daley)
Psaki replied that he was “talking about when [the partnership] was finalized so that we could move forward. “
“Sure, there are conversations between the companies, but in terms of getting to the point and, obviously, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was only approved last weekend, right?” she said.
“But there is a difference between the talks and the advancement and use of the Defense Production Act, which is something that this president, and not the previous president, has pledged to invoke,” continued Psaki.
“In addition, the commitment to help update, to help bring manufacturing facilities to where they needed to be to produce vaccines. So, I’m just conveying what happened at the finish line. And I think it’s clear that this it only happened relatively recently, ”he added.
At the beginning of the briefing, Psaki said that Johnson & Johnson was late in manufacturing, but that the Biden government acted to “have more than enough doses to vaccinate the American people”.
All American adults will be able to receive a coronavirus vaccine by the end of May, President Biden said on Tuesday.