US secures 105 million Covid-19 vaccines doses from Pfizer and BioNTech

The US announced that it has secured 105 million Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech for delivery by autumn as the country prepares for another possible wave as the cooler weather sets in.

The announcement on June 29 comes after the US Health and Defence departments concluded a deal worth $3.2 billion (€3.06 billion) with the two companies to supply the vaccines.

At this stage it is not clear who will have to pay for the vaccine but included in the contract with the two companies are vaccines for babies, young children, teens and adults. The supply may also include Omicron-specific vaccines, which a panel of government experts recommended on Tuesday.

Delivery will begin in late summer and continue into the fourth quarter, with the US having the option to increase the supply up to 300 million doses.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said: “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to doing everything we can to continue to make vaccines free and widely available to Americans – and this is an important first step to preparing us for the fall”

President Joe Biden’s administration has asked Congress for $23.5 billion (€22.5 billion) in additional Covid-19 funding, but the bill has yet to be passed through congress.

Becerra said in the statement that the federal government “was forced to reallocate $10 billion (€9.6 billion) in existing funding, pulling billions of dollars from Covid-19 response efforts” to allow for the procurement of the new vaccines.

The White House had indicated in the past that without funding future vaccines might only be given for free to those at highest risk.

The announcement that the US has secured 105 million Covid-19 doses for the Autumn comes as infection rates head upwards across Europe.

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