Trump administration to buy 100 million additional doses of Pfizer vaccine

Pfizer will deliver at least 70 million doses by June 30, and the rest will be delivered by July 31, according to a press release.

Fauci, Collins and Azar receive their first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine

With this agreement, the federal government will have purchased 200 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech for $ 4 billion. The vaccine is 95% effective against the coronavirus after two doses administered a few weeks apart.

The deal includes the option of an additional 400 million doses of the vaccine, the HHS said. Pfizer said the United States government will pay $ 1.95 billion for the 100 million additional doses.

Last week, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said that negotiations to buy more coronavirus vaccine were complicated by issues in Pfizer’s supply chain that will make it more challenging for the company to produce 100 million more doses of vaccine in spring. Pfizer was seeking help from the OWS to secure crucial materials in order to deliver the vaccine in a timely manner.

On Wednesday, an HHS spokesman told CNN in a statement that the Trump administration is using its officials under the Defense Production Act to “prioritize access to critical materials and supplies needed to expand vaccine production. “

The statement says Operation Warp Speed ​​is using “selective application by DPA authorities” to facilitate the production of the six vaccines it is supporting, including the Pfizer vaccine.

The Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine was the first to receive an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration. Hundreds of thousands of doses of the vaccine have been administered since last week.

The Trump administration faced criticism after the New York Times reported that the United States government failed to guarantee an additional 100 million doses when Pfizer offered this option over the summer. The government denied reports that it declined this offer from Pfizer.

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