President Joe Biden says that a minimum of 10 million shots will be administered per week moving forward, an increase of 17%, as states and regions have been forced to close mass vaccination sites due to strained supply.
According to a White House press release, Biden announced the U.S. is purchasing an additional 200 million doses of each of the two approved coronavirus vaccines to be delivered this summer.
Biden said in a statement from the White House State Room he hopes 300 million will be fully vaccinated by the end of the summer, and, if anything, the U.S. will have too much supply of the vaccine.
On Tuesday, Biden pledged to provide states at least three weeks in advance of delivery to allow for them to plan accordingly for injections.
"This increased transparency will give state and local leaders greater certainty around supply so that they can plan their vaccination efforts and administer vaccines effectively and efficiently," the White House said in the news release.
According to the CDC, 44,394,075 doses have been distributed and 23.5 million people have been vaccinated.
There are currently two coronavirus vaccines that have garnered an emergency use authorization from the FDA. A vaccine produced by Pfizer, which studies indicate has a 95% efficacy rate, began being administered in the U.S. last month. A second coronavirus vaccine, which is produced by Moderna and has a 94% efficacy rate, began being administered last month as well.
