President Biden said Wednesday the U.S. government plans to buy an additional 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to provide “maximum flexibility” in the rollout even though existing contracts will procure enough doses for all Americans.
The White House said the purchase will serve as a kind of insurance policy in case vaccine makers encounter production hiccups. Beyond J&J’s one-shot vaccine, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are producing two-dose versions.
“We need maximum flexibility. There’s always a chance we will encounter unexpected challenges. A lot can happen, a lot can change, and we need to be prepared,” Mr. Biden said during a White House meeting Wednesday with the CEOs of J&J and rival Merck, which agreed to use two of its facilities to churn out J&J’s vaccine.
“If we have a surplus, we’re going to share it with the rest of the world,” Mr. Biden said.
The president said the unusual cooperation between J&J and Merck will allow the U.S. to produce enough doses for every American adult by the end of May — though administering the shots will likely take longer.
Merck CEO Kenneth C. Frazier said Mr. Biden’s decision to invoke the Defense Production Act will allow him to convert Merck facilities swiftly and churn out J&J shots.
“In these extraordinary times, we are colleagues, not competitors,” Mr. Frazier said.
The development of a vaccine “wasn’t a race against each other as competitors,” J&J CEO Alex Gorsky said. “It’s really a race against time to defeat a common enemy.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the extra supply of J&J doses could help the U.S. if the vaccine is approved for children or studies suggest a booster shot provides extra protection.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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