Following a new $2 billion deal with the US government, Pfizer and BioNTech will be providing the US with an additional 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by mid-summer. This addition means, the US pharmaceutical company and the German drugmaker will now b delivering a total of 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidates to the United States resulting in immunisation of nearly 100 million people against the highly-infectious disease. In a statement, the companies had announced their plan on December 23 and said that all doses are expected to be delivered by July 31, 2021.
Hailing the deal Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said that following the delivery of 200 million doses, will enable the United States ‘to protect more people’ and end up controlling the COVID-19 pandemic more quickly. He also said that the company is willing to work with the US government along with healthcare providers across the nation. In a statement, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex Azar noted that the US securing more vaccines has further expanded the government’s supply of doses under the ‘Operation Warp Speed’ portfolio.
