A coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is expected to be widely available to Americans by June 2021.
Earlier this week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced the United States had agreed to purchase an additional wave of 100 million doses, bringing the total order of COVID-19 vaccines to 200 million.
The government is prepared to pay $1.95 billion for the second round of vaccines — 70 million of which are due by June 30th, and the remaining 30 million due by July 31st.
The FDA has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, as well as a similar vaccine from Moderna.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar explained in a press release:
Securing more doses from Pfizer and BioNTech for delivery in the second quarter of 2021 further expands our supply of doses across the Operation Warp Speed portfolio. This new federal purchase can give Americans even more confidence that we will have enough supply to vaccinate every American who wants it by June 2021.
In 2020, the US has experienced its deadliest year, according to the CDC, with a troubling amount of daily COVID-19 cases still being reported. See below for details on how to stay safe this holiday season.
U.S. #COVID19 cases are rising with an average 66 cases per 100,000 people over the last 7 days. This holiday season, help slow the spread:
🚫 Avoid travel and gatherings.
😷 Wear a mask.
↔️ Stay 6 feet away from others.
🖐️ Wash your hands.
See more: https://t.co/1nMYQAjpSq. pic.twitter.com/LndTpKSQOV— CDC (@CDCgov) December 23, 2020
Source: Complex
