President Biden said on Tuesday that the United States will now have enough COVID-19 vaccines for each adult “by the end of May” – and that the feds will start a new program aimed at vaccinating all teachers by the end of March. .
The ambitious schedule – less than three months from now – comes days after US health regulators approved a third vaccine, developed by Johnson & Johnson, that requires a single injection instead of two.
The White House announced on Tuesday that it will use the Defense Production Act to help fund a partnership between pharmaceutical companies Merck and Johnson & Johnson to produce the latter’s vaccine more quickly.
“We are now on track to have a sufficient vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May,” said Biden at the White House, noting what he had said earlier in late July.
“I am pleased to announce today, as a result of the accelerated process that I ordered and just outlined, this country will have enough vaccine supplies, I will say again, for every adult in America by the end of May. “
Meanwhile, Biden announced the new teacher vaccination initiative, which will see the federal pharmacy vaccination program prioritizing educators and childcare workers.
“We want every educator, school employee [and] childcare worker will receive at least one injection by the end of March, ”said Biden.
The announcement came after the White House for weeks was on the defensive about the president not using his aggressive pulpit to persuade teachers’ unions reluctant to bring educators back into the classroom. The research indicates a relatively low spread of the virus in schools, especially with younger children.
“Right now, a whole generation of young people is about to lose another year of learning. You can ask millions of parents, they understand, ”said Biden at the White House. “It is a national imperative that we get our children back to the classroom safely and as quickly as possible.”
To facilitate vaccination for teachers, “Starting next week and for a month, the month of March, we will be using our federal pharmacy program to prioritize the vaccination of pre-K-12 educators and staff and child caregivers. Throughout March, they will be able to sign up for an appointment at a pharmacy near them, ”said Biden.
“I want to be very clear, not every educator will get your appointment in the first week, but our goal is to do everything in our power to help each educator receive an injection this month, March.”
More than 15 percent of the US population – and more than 20 percent of the adult population – received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC.
US states began vaccinating vulnerable adults in mid-December, after a long period of review by the Food and Drug Administration for a two-dose vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech that was about 95 percent effective in testing. The FDA quickly approved a second two-dose vaccine produced by Moderna.
The Johnson & Johnson injection was found to be 66% effective overall in preventing moderate to severe illnesses, 28 days after vaccination, and 85% effective in preventing serious illnesses.
But it requires only a single injection and can be stored at higher temperatures, and health experts have warned against comparing tests performed separately and at different points in the pandemic.