“We hope we will get another 100 million [doses] from Pfizer, ”McEnany told reporters. “I think we will.”
The deal the Trump administration struck in July included an option to purchase an additional 500 million doses of the bipartisan vaccine that it decided not to exercise, raising fears of a so-called ‘vaccine cliff’ America would have to wait for . for additional supplies while other countries can implement their vaccination plans. Senate Democrats recently sent a letter expressing concerns about potential shortages to the Trump administration’s efforts to rapidly develop vaccines, Operation Warp Speed.
Pfizer has promised it can deliver 1.3 billion doses by 2021, although much of that capacity will be spent honoring other deals struck with dozens of countries around the world.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Monday that the company is in talks with the United States about providing supplemental doses.
A Pfizer spokesman declined to comment on Tuesday in addition to Bourla’s comments earlier this week.
“We can give them the additional 100 million doses, but right now we can provide most of it in the third quarter,” Bourla said on CNN. “The US government wants them in the second quarter, so we’re working closely with them to make sure we can find ways to produce more or allocate the doses in the second quarter.”
In addition to Pfizer, the United States has also signed a deal with Moderna, which makes a vaccine based on similar technology and could receive FDA approval by the end of this week.
The Trump administration announced an agreement to double the order of Moderna’s vaccine, bringing the company’s total order to 200 million doses. The government retains the option to purchase another 300 million photos in the future.