Trump administration officials passed when Pfizer offered in late summer to sell the U.S. government additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine.
Now Pfizer may not be able provide more of its vaccine to the United States until next June because of its commitments to other countries.
NYTimes: As the administration scrambles to try to purchase more doses of the vaccine, President Trump plans on Tuesday to sign an executive order “to ensure that United States government prioritizes getting the vaccine to American citizens before sending it to other nations,” according to a draft statement and a White House official, though it was not immediately clear what force Trump’s executive order would carry.
That included whether it would expand the U.S. supply of doses beyond what is spelled out in existing federal contracts.
The vaccine being produced by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, is a two-dose treatment, meaning that 100 million doses is enough to vaccinate only 50 million Americans.
The vaccine is expected to receive authorization for emergency use in the U.S. as soon as this weekend, with another vaccine, developed by Moderna, also likely to be approved for emergency use soon.
Britain plans to begin a vaccination drive on Tuesday using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, making it the first Western nation to start mass vaccinations.
On Nov. 11 — two days after Pfizer first announced early results indicating that its vaccine was more than 90 percent effective — the European Union announced that it had finalized a supply deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for 200 million doses, a deal they began negotiating in months earlier.
Shipments could begin by the end of the year, and the contract includes an option for 100 million more doses.
Trump announced Sunday that Rudy Giuliani, his personal lawyer, had tested positive for Covid-19, making him at least the 53rd person in the president’s inner circle to contract the virus, a shocking number that is almost assuredly linked to administration officials’ lax approach to following Covid-19 safety recommendations.
Trump and many of his allies have routinely flouted social distancing and mask guidelines, including at the White House and on the campaign trail.
Trump has repeatedly downplayed the risk posed by the virus—even as more than 280,000 Americans lie dead from the disease—and falsely urged Americans to not “be afraid” of Covid-19 in October as he was discharged from the hospital following a battle with the virus.
Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. have each asked for FDA approval for their shots, both of which are better than 90% effective, according to preliminary data from clinical trials.
But the drugmakers won’t be part of a summit at the White House tomorrow.
Pfizer said in a statement that it had informed the White House that it wouldn’t attend.
Moderna executives also won’t be present, according to a person familiar with the matter.