President Joe Biden announced a major partnership Tuesday afternoon between pharmaceutical giants Merck & Co. and Johnson & Johnson to help produce J&J’s newly authorized vaccine and changed the vaccine timeline, saying there would be enough for every American adult by the end of May.
He compared the two companies collaboration to what the U.S. saw during World War II and said that Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine manufacturing facilities will now begin to operate 24/7.
The president also announced Tuesday that he wants teachers and school workers to receive at least one vaccine shot “by the end of March.”
While Biden can’t mandate that states prioritize teachers for their vaccine supplies, Biden is challenging them to do so. To help make this happen, Biden announced that starting next week and for the month of March, his administration will be using their federal pharmacy program to prioritize the vaccination of pre-k through 12 educators, staff and child care workers.
Asked when things will “get back to normal,” the president said he hopes “by this time next year,” but added that it depends on if people continue to be “smart.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an Emergency Use Authorization for the J&J vaccine Saturday, which triggered the shipment of 3.9 million doses of the vaccine on Monday. Of those, 800,000 are expected to go directly to pharmacies. The first shots were being administered Tuesday.
Source-ABC
