The Joe Biden administration is working to purchase additional 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to reach 600 million doses this summer, in a bid to vaccinate 300 million people, said the White House on Tuesday.
"The Biden-Harris administration is working to purchase an additional 100 million doses of each of the two Food and Drug Administration-authorized vaccines-- Pfizer and Moderna," the release said on Tuesday.
"This increases the total vaccine order for the U.S. by 50 per cent, from 400 million to 600 million with these additional doses expected to deliver this summer. With these additional doses, the US will have enough vaccine to fully vaccinate 300 million Americans by the end of this summer." The Biden-Harris Administration will increase overall, weekly vaccine supply to states, tribes and territories from 8.6 million doses to a minimum of 10 million doses.
"This increase of 1.4 million doses per week will allow millions more Americans to get vaccinated sooner than previously anticipated. The Administration is committing to maintaining this as the minimum supply level for the next three weeks," the release further said.
Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden announced that further measures would be undertaken to ramp up the vaccination campaign in the country.
"After review of current vaccines supplies and manufacturing plans, I can announce that we will increase overall weekly vaccination distributions to states, tribes and territories from 8.6 million doses to a minimum of 10 million doses starting next week," Biden said during a White House press briefing.
