President Joe Biden will announce Tuesday that his administration has secured commitments from coronavirus vaccine makers to buy another 200 million doses to arrive this summer, raising the total to 600 million and ensuring the U.S. will eventually have two shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for nearly every American.
Biden also was expected to tell the nation to expect a modest uptick in production in the near term -- from 8.6 million doses a week to 10 million a week for the next three weeks, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.The announcement does not resolve the major shortages the nation is experiencing now, and does not suggest the Biden administration has found a novel way to ramp up production quickly.MORE: Vaccinating America is easier said than done: 5 things to know about Biden's planThe slight uptick to 10 million in the next three weeks had been expected, as vaccine makers slowly expand supply.Also, the option to buy more doses had always been on the table for the U.S. government under existing contracts.Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. government had already agreed to buy 200 million doses from Pfizer and 200 million from Moderna, both delivered by July.Paul Sancya/Pool/Reuters, FILEBoxes containing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch, Miss., Dec. 20, 2020.Because each vaccine requires two shots, those 400 million doses already purchased from Pfizer and Moderna would be enough to vaccinate about 200 million U.S. adults. But tens of millions more people will need to be immunized to reach "herd immunity."Pfizer is authorized in people as young as 16, whereas Moderna is for people over 18 years old.The Biden administration official did not provide a firm timetable on the 200 million extra doses, but hailed the move as a guarantee that every American who wants a shot can get one."We expect these vaccines to be available in production over the course of the summer," the official said.Editor's PicksStates trying to ramp up vaccinations frustrated by shortagesGovernors angrily accuse Trump administration of misleading states on vaccine supplyLA County Fire Department COVID cases dramatically decrease after 75% get vaccinatedSource : abcnews.go.com