President Biden: Country Will Have Enough Adult Vaccines By End of May
President Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States would have enough Covid-19 vaccine doses for every adult American by the end of May, dramatically accelerating his timeline. But the President also acknowledged that the country must still be vigilant against the virus.
The President announced he would direct states to prioritize teachers in their vaccination plans, reemphasizing a commitment to returning students to classrooms amid a confusing administration stance on when and how classrooms can reopen.
Johnson and Johnson has now partnered with Merck to produce the single-shot vaccine, which has the added benefit of not needing the extremely cold temperature storage that the other vaccines do.
NEW: President Joe Biden will announce later today that Merck & Co will partner with Johnson & Johnson to help produce their single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, according to the White House.
— Justin Gomez (@JustinGomezABC) March 2, 2021
The new date does not mean all Americans would receive shots by May 31; issues with distribution and personnel mean it could take much longer for all doses to be administered. But the speedier estimate, helped along by that new partnership between two global medical giants, makes for an optimistic target as millions of Americans wait to receive their first doses. The timeline speeds up by two months the administration’s previous goal of having enough shots by the end of July.
The fight against COVID-19 is a war-time effort — and to win, we need breakthrough approaches. Today, I’m announcing we’re bringing together Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and the full power of the federal government to ramp up vaccine production and defeat this virus. pic.twitter.com/knu1PIXOtl
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 2, 2021