- The United States has ordered another 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as new cases of COVID-19 continue to spike during the holiday season
- Pfizer has committed to delivering the new batch by the middle of next year, after receiving the first U.S. approval for a COVID-19 vaccine just last month
- The U.S. currently has the option to purchase up to 500 million vaccines from Pfizer, which would provide enough doses to vaccinate just under 75 per cent on the population
- Total cases of COVID-19 in the U.S recently passed 18 million and deaths currently sit around 323,000, putting the nation on track for its deadliest year on record
The United States has ordered another 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as new cases of COVID-19 continue to spike during the holiday season.
Pfizer has committed to delivering the new batch by the middle of next year, after receiving the first U.S. approval for a COVID-19 vaccine just last month.
“With these 100 million additional doses, the United States will be able to protect more individuals and hopefully end this devastating pandemic more quickly,” said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer.
“We look forward to continuing our work with the U.S. government and healthcare providers around the country,” he added.
The U.S. has now secured a total of 200 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or roughly enough to vaccinate around one third of its population.
Through an ongoing deal with Pfizer and BioNTech, the U.S. currently has the option to purchase up to 500 million vaccines, which would provide enough doses to vaccinate just under 75 per cent on the population.
Meanwhile, new daily cases of virus across the U.S. are continuing at record heights, with around 200,000 new cases being recorded each day. Total cases in the U.S recently passed 18 million and deaths currently sit around 323,000, putting the nation on track for its deadliest year on record.
In an effort to limit more deaths, U.S. authorities are currently only administering the vaccine for free to high-risk groups such as healthcare workers and nursing home residents, but a planned public-wide vaccination strategy is expected in the coming months.