Biden outlines 'wartime effort' to boost distribution of COVID-19 vaccines

The Biden administration says it plans to boost purchases of coronavirus vaccines to deliver enough to protect 300 million Americans by the end of the summer or early fall.

The effort will include a surge indeliveries to states over the next three weeks following complaints of shortages and inconsistent supplies.

U.S. President Joe Biden also announcedthat 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 meet its goal.

"This is enough vaccine to vaccinate 300 million Americans by end of summer, early fall," Biden said, calling the push to increase supply a "wartime effort."

The purchases from Pfizer-BioNTechand 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 per centboost in deliveries to states over the coming weeksamid 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.

'Lives are at stake'

The increase comes amid complaints from governors and top health officials about inadequate supplies and the need for earlier and more reliable estimates of how much vaccine is on the way so that they can plan accordingly.

WATCH | Biden ramps up vaccination efforts:

Joe Biden announces huge increase in COVID-19 vaccine purchases

3 years ago

Duration 1:46

U.S. president says 200 million more vaccine doses have been ordered, potentially enough to inoculate every American by the end of this summer.

Seeking to allay those concerns Tuesday during their first virus-related call with governors, Biden's team pledged to provide states with firm vaccine allocations three weeks ahead of delivery to allow for accurate planning for injections.

"Until now, we've had to guess how much vaccine" each week," Biden said. "This is unacceptable. Lives are at stake."

The U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedthe government plans to make about 10.1 million first and second doses available next week, up from this week's allotment of 8.6 million. The figures represent doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. It was not immediately clear how long the surge of doses could be sustained.

Biden's announcement came a day after he grew more bullish about exceeding his vaccine pledge to deliver 100 million injections in his first 100 days in office, suggesting that a rate of 1.5 million doses per day could soon be achieved.

"We appreciate the administration stating that it will provide states with slightly higher allocations for the next few weeks, but we are going to need much more supply," said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican.

The administration has also promised more openness and said it will hold news briefings three times a week, beginning Wednesday, about the outbreak that has killed more than420,000 Americans.

The vaccination setup inherited from the Trump administration has been marked by miscommunication and unexplained supply bottlenecks.

States struggle to deliver vaccines

Officials in West Virginia, which has had one of the best rates of administering vaccine, said it hasfewer than 11,000 first doses on hand even after this week's shipment.

"I'm screaming my head off" for more, Republican Gov. Jim Justice said.

California, which has faced criticism over a slow vaccine rollout, announced Tuesday that it is centralizing its hodgepodge of county systems and streamlining appointment sign-up, notification and eligibility. Residents have been baffled by the varying rules in different counties.

And in Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis saidthe limited supply of vaccine from the federal government is prompting the state to repurpose second doses as first doses, though he expects that people scheduled for their second shot will still be able to keep their appointments.

The weekly allocation cycle for first doses begins on Monday nights, when federal officials review data on vaccine availability from manufacturers to determine how much each state can have. Allocations are based on each jurisdiction's population of people 18 and older.

States are notified on Tuesdays of their allocations through a computer network called Tiberius and other channels, after which they can specify where they want doses shipped. Deliveries start the following Monday.

A similar but separate process for ordering second doses, which must be given three to four weeks after the first, begins each week on Sunday night.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the CDC reported that just over half of the 44 million doses distributed to states have been put in people's arms.

The U.S. ranks fifth in the world in the number of doses administered relative to the country's population, behind No. 1 Israel, United Arab Emirates, Britain and Bahrain, according to the University of Oxford.

The reason more of the available shots in the U.S. haven't been dispensed isn't entirely clear. But many vaccination sites are apparently holding large quantities of vaccine in reserve to make sure people who have already gotten their first shot receive the required second one on schedule.

The vaccine rollout across the 27-nation European Union has also run into roadblocks and has likewise been criticized as too slow. Pfizer is delaying deliveries while it upgrades its plant in Belgium to increase capacity. And AstraZeneca disclosed that its initial shipment will be smaller than expected.

The EU, with 450 million citizens, is demanding that the pharmaceutical companies meet their commitments on schedule.