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February 12, 2021
Health Law Weekly

Biden Touts Deal for Additional Vaccine Doses with Accelerated Delivery Timeline

  • February 12, 2021

Speaking February 11 at the National Institutes of Health, President Biden said the federal government has inked a final deal with Moderna and Pfizer for 200 million more doses of their vaccines including a faster delivery timeline than initially expected.

The companies will deliver a 100 million doses each of their vaccines by the end of July, Biden said. They also agreed to expedite delivery of another 100 million doses for delivery by the end of May, instead of June as originally planned. 

"That means we’re now on track to have enough supply for 300 million Americans by the end of July," Biden noted. 

The administration also continues to ramp up the distribution of vaccines across the country. Beginning the week of February 15, the federal government will ship vaccines directly to community health centers as part of a broader effort to reach vulnerable populations and underserved communities.

The first phase of the Federally Qualified Community Health Centers Program will include at least one community health center in each state, expanding to 250 centers in the coming weeks, according to a White House fact sheet.

The roughly 1,300 community health centers nationwide provide primary care services in underserved communities to about 30 million people—two-thirds of these individuals are living at or below the federal poverty line and 60% are racial and/or ethnic minorities, the fact sheet said.

The administration also continues to step up the supply of vaccines distributed to states, Tribes, and territories, increasing allocations by 5% over the previous week, up 28% in total since Biden took office.

“We’re helping states administer the supply more efficiently and equitably by providing them with visibility into the supply they will receive over the coming three weeks,” said COVID-19 response coordinator Jeffry Zients at a February 10 briefing.

Zients also said the administration is creating more places to get vaccinated, including new vaccination centers in stadiums, community centers, schools, and parking lots nationwide.

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