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THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021
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President Joe Biden speaks at the White House about eff orts to combat COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Biden vows all adults can
get vaccine by end of May
larly in the roughly 20 states where they have
not been prioritized for shots. The aim is to
help reopen schools to better educate students
who have been at risk of falling behind during
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden the pandemic and reduce the burden on par-
said Tuesday the U.S. expects to take delivery ents who have had to choose between child
of enough coronavirus vaccine for all adults care and a job.
by the end of May — two months earlier than
“Let’s treat in-person learning as the essen-
anticipated — and he pushed states to get at tial service that it is,” Biden said. Teachers will
least one shot into the arms of teachers by the be able to sign up directly through participat-
end of March to hasten school reopenings.
ing retail pharmacies, the administration said.
Biden also announced that drugmaker
White House press secretary Jen Psaki also
Merck will help produce rival Johnson & announced Tuesday that the federal govern-
Johnson’s newly approved one-shot vaccine, ment was increasing supply of the Moderna
likening the partnership between the two drug and Pfi zer vaccines to states next week to 15.2
companies to the spirit of national cooperation million doses per week, up from 14.5 million
during World War II.
previously. States will also receive 2.8 mil-
“We’re now on track to have enough vac- lion doses of the Johnson & Johnson shot this
cine supply for every adult in America by the week.
end of May,” Biden said.
On a call with governors Tuesday, White
Despite the stepped-up pace of vaccine House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients
production, the work of inoculating Ameri- said states should prepare to administer 16
cans could extend well into the summer, offi - million to 17 million total weekly doses of
cials said, depending both on the government’s Pfi zer and Moderna vaccines by the end of
capacity to deliver doses and Americans’ will- March, climbing to 17 million to 18 million
ingness to roll up their sleeves.
weekly by early April. The supply of John-
In Oregon, the state will receive 34,000 son & Johnson doses to states, expected to dip
doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. after the initial shipment this week, will climb
Every county will receive 100 doses this week. to 4 million to 6 million weekly doses by the
“Because doses will be limited for the fi rst end of March and 5 million to 6 million doses
few weeks, the state has committed some allo- weekly through the end of April.
cations to addressing access
Offi cials have said John-
issues for some Oregonians
son & Johnson faced unex-
ONLY ABOUT
who’ve experienced barriers
pected production issues
to getting vaccinated,” said
with its vaccine and pro-
8% OF THE U.S.
Jonathan Modie, a spokes-
duced only 3.9 million
man for the Oregon Health
doses before being cleared
POPULATION
Authority.
for emergency use autho-
HAS BEEN FULLY rization on Saturday. The
About 4,800 doses will
go to local public health
company has promised to
VACCINATED,
authorities to vaccinate Ore-
deliver 100 million doses by
gonians living in adult foster
ACCORDING TO the end of June.
homes and other in-home
Before the approval of
THE CENTERS
senior populations.
the Johnson & Johnson
Walmart and Bi-Mart,
shot, Biden had suggested
FOR DISEASE
two new partners in the
that it would take until the
state’s pharmacy vaccina-
end of July to have enough
CONTROL AND
tions program, will also
vaccine for every adult in
PREVENTION,
receive the Johnson &
the U.S.
Johnson vaccine. Addi-
Facing questions about
THOUGH
tional doses will go to some
the company’s slipping
THE PACE OF
unspecifi ed health systems
delivery schedule, Rich-
in the state.
ard Nettles, vice president
VACCINATION
Biden’s announcements
of Johnson & Johnson, told
quickly raised expectations
lawmakers on Capitol Hill
HAS BEEN
for when the nation could
last week that the com-
INCREASING.
safely emerge from the pan-
pany had faced “signifi cant
demic with the promise of
challenges” because of its
THE U.S. SET
speedier vaccinations, but
“highly complex” manufac-
even as he expressed opti-
turing process.
A NEW DAILY
mism, Biden quickly tem-
Psaki said that an
RECORD FOR
pered the outlook for a
“across-the-administration
return to life as it was before
effort” was required to get
INJECTIONS
the virus hit.
the two historic rivals to
“I’ve been cautioned not
LAST THURSDAY work together on the vac-
to give an answer to that
cines, even though conver-
AND FRIDAY.
because we don’t know for
sations between Johnson &
sure,” Biden said, before
Johnson and Merck have
saying his hope for a return to normal was been going on for months.
sometime before “this time next year.”
“There’s a difference between conversa-
As Biden spoke, states across the coun- tions and it moving forward,” she said.
try were moving to relax virus-related restric-
The White House said Merck would
tions. This despite the objections of the White devote two plants to the production process.
House and the nation’s top infectious disease One would make the vaccine and the other
expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who have warned would handle inserting the vaccine into vials
against any relaxation of virus protocols until and ensuring strict quality controls. Psaki said
more Americans are vaccinated.
the Biden administration was using its pow-
In Texas, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott moved ers under the Defense Production Act to help
to lift his state’s mask-wearing mandate and Merck retool to work on the production.
a host of other limitations. Michigan’s Demo-
Still it was not immediately clear when
cratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer eased capacity the effect of Merck’s assistance would be
limits on restaurants and both public and resi- refl ected in supply. Federal offi cials have
dential gatherings.
cautioned that setting up the highly special-
Fauci has previously said the nation must ized manufacturing lines to produce vaccines
achieve a vaccination rate of about 80% to would take months.
reach “herd immunity.” Only about 8% of the
Compared to the two-dose versions pro-
population has been fully vaccinated, accord- duced by Moderna and Pfi zer, the Johnson &
ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Johnson vaccine is less resource-intensive to
Prevention, though the pace of vaccination distribute and administer, making it critical for
has been increasing. The U.S. set a new daily U.S. plans to spread vaccinations around the
record for injections last Thursday and Friday. world — but only once Americans are inoc-
In hopes of increasing vaccinations even ulated. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine can
further, the Biden administration told gover- be stored for months at refrigerated tempera-
nors to make preparations to administer even tures, rather than frozen, and doesn’t require
more doses in the coming weeks. More shots patients to return for a second dose three or
are also headed toward the federally backed four weeks later.
program to administer doses in retail pharma-
Johnson & Johnson has set up a global pro-
cies, which federal offi cials believe can dou- duction network that includes brewing bulk
ble or triple their pace of vaccination.
vaccine at its Janssen facility in the Nether-
More than 800,000 doses of the Johnson & lands, and with a company in the U.S., Emer-
Johnson vaccine will also be distributed this gent BioSolutions, and another in India, Bio-
week to pharmacies, on top of the 2.4 million logical E. Ltd. Other contract manufacturers
they are now getting from Pfi zer and Moderna. are lined up to help with later steps, including
Those pharmacies will be key in getting the putting the vaccine into vials, in the U.S., Italy,
vaccines into the arms of teachers — particu- Spain and South Africa.
By JONATHAN LEMIRE, LINDA A.
JOHNSON and ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press
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