Biden Announces Plans to Order 100M More Doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced plans Wednesday to purchase an additional 100 million doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, giving the U.S. more than enough supply to vaccinate the entire U.S. population.
“I am doing this because, in this wartime effort, we need maximum flexibility. There’s always a chance that we’ll encounter unexpected challenges or there will be a new need for vaccine effort,” Biden said during a meeting with executives from pharmaceutical companies J&J and Merck.
“A lot can happen, a lot can change, and we need to be prepared.”
Biden said this month that the U.S. was on track to have enough vaccine doses for every adult in the country to get vaccinated by the end of May after the Food and Drug Administration gave clearance for use of the J&J vaccine. White House senior adviser on Covid response Andy Slavitt said it was too early to say when the additional doses would become available.
