President Biden says 300 million vaccinated by July

The United States will have enough supply of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination to cover 300 million Americans by the end of July, President Joseph Biden said during remarks to National Institutes of Health (NIH) staff, alongside Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the NIH, on Thursday afternoon.

The U.S. is on track to exceed President Biden’s goal of administering 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office, with more than 26 million shots delivered in his first three weeks. He said that the U.S. had secured contractual commitments from both Moderna and Pfizer to deliver 600 million vaccine doses by the end of July. This timeline could shorten if a third vaccination receives approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, experts say.

During the remarks, President Biden called out the lack of vaccination distribution plan left by the former administration, and said his administration is doing everything possible to increase vaccine supply. So far, they have deployed over 1,000 federal staff to mass vaccination sites in several states, preparing to increase vaccination rates as more supply becomes available.

“We’re in a national emergency,” President Biden said in his statement. “And this will be one of the most difficult operational challenges we have ever undertaken as a nation. It’s going to take time. We’re going to face setbacks along the way. And I promise you, when we do, I’ll just own up to it and say what they are. But we have to stay vigilant. We have to stay focused.”

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