Biden Says U.S. Struck Deals for 200 Million More COVID-19 Vaccine Doses

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Biden said in a speech at the U.S. National Institutes of Health that the United States had made agreements to purchase 200 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses, following a vow in January to raise the number of shots available for Americans. He said the U.S. signed contracts with Pfizer and Moderna requiring each drugmaker to supply another 100 million doses. This will bring the total number of doses ordered by the U.S. from both companies to 600 million from 400 million. The purchases would provide enough doses to vaccinate 300 million Americans in a two-dose regimen, covering all those currently eligible to receive the vaccine. It will take months for most of the American public to get vaccinated, but Biden said the companies agreed to expedite deliveries, and sufficient doses would be available to vaccinate 300 million by the end of July. The White House announced this week that it was boosting the number of doses being sent to states, tribes, and territories to 11 million per week, a 28 percent increase since Biden took office.