Pfizer Tells U.S. Supply of Vaccine Will Be Limited and Late, According to Reports
Tuesday, December 08, 2020
The development of the vaccines to combat the coronavirus has been generated at record time, but the production and distribution may be more complex.
The Washington Post is reporting, “Pfizer has told the Trump administration it cannot provide substantial additional doses of its coronavirus vaccine until late June or July because other countries have rushed to buy up most of its supply, according to multiple individuals familiar with the situation.”
Federal government officials have repeatedly stated that the distribution and availability of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available for the public this spring.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn Rhode Island, Governor Gina Raimondo told Rhode Islanders weeks ago that residents would be vaccinated by summer.
The implication of the lack of Pfizer availability is that the U.S. government may not be able to ramp up as rapidly as it had expected from the 100 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine that it purchased earlier this year.
Before Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine was proved highly successful in clinical trials last month, the company offered the Trump administration the chance to lock in supplies beyond the 100 million doses the pharmaceutical maker agreed to sell the government as part of a $1.95 billion deal over the summer.
But the administration, according to people familiar with the talks, never made the deal, a choice that now raises questions about whether the United States allowed other countries to take its place in line.
This is creating concerns in the U.S. about whether it can keep to its aggressive schedule to vaccinate most Americans by late spring or early summer.
Trump administration officials denied there would be availability issues in the second quarter, citing other vaccines in the pipeline.
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