Biden announces 'wartime' boost in vaccine supply

The Biden administration is boosting purchases of coronavirus vaccines to deliver enough to protect 300 million Americans by the end of the summer, as it surges deliveries to states for the next three weeks following complaints of shortages and inconsistent supplies. President Joe Biden announced the surge in deliveries to states on Tuesday, along with the news that the federal government is purchasing an additional 100 million doses each of the two approved coronavirus vaccines.

With existing purchases, the White House expects to be able to deliver enough of the two-dose regimens to states to vaccinate 300 million people. The purchases from drug-makers Pfizer and Moderna come as the Biden administration is trying to ramp up vaccine production and states' capacities to inject them into arms. Even more vaccine could be available if federal scientists approve a single-dose shot from Johnson & Johnson, which is expected to seek emergency authorization in the coming weeks. Biden also announced a roughly 16% boost in deliveries to states over the coming weeks, amid complaints of shortages so severe that some vaccination sites around the U.S. had to cancel tens of thousands of appointments with people seeking their first shot.