 The U.S. continues to lead the world in covid-19 fatalities with more than 142,300. / A.M. Costa Rica wire services photo |
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 Published Thursday, July 23, 2020 The
U.S. government to pay almost
$2 billion for covid-19 vaccine, says report By the A.M.
Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. government will pay $1.95 billion to the drugmaker Pfizer and German biotech company BioNTech SE for 100 million doses of a covid-19 vaccine, if it proves to be safe and effective, reported Voice of America Journal on Wednesday. According to the report, the companies said they finalized a deal with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Defense Department to supply the agencies with a vaccine they are developing jointly, the latest in a number of comparable agreements with other vaccine companies. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the U.S. could buy 500 million additional doses of the vaccine provided they are "safe and effective." The deal is part of President Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed initiative, which hopes to deliver 300 million doses of an approved vaccine by January 2021. Pfizer and BioNTech said they hope to be ready to pursue some form of regulatory approval as early as October if ongoing studies of the vaccine are successful and that it currently expects to deliver up to 100 million doses by the end of the year. The deal was announced one day after more than 1,000 people in the U.S. died of covid-19, the first time since early June the U.S. reached the grim single-day milestone, and Trump acknowledged the coronavirus crisis in the country "will ... get worse before it gets better." During Wednesday's daily coronavirus briefing, Trump said the coronavirus poses "the greatest threat to our senior citizens," and that "nearly half of the deaths have occurred among those living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities." He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was sending protective gear to more than 15,000 Medicaid- and Medicare-certified nursing homes throughout the U.S. "I want to send the message of support and hope to every senior citizen who has been dealing with the struggle of isolation in what should be the golden years of your life," he said. Trump, who only recently wore a mask in public for the first time and touted on Tuesday the impact face coverings have in reducing the spread of the coronavirus, again stressed their use Wednesday, as well as that of washing hands. "I am finding more and more people are saying wash your hands. So, wash your hands," he said. Trump held the briefing solo Tuesday, without medical experts or members of the White House coronavirus task force. When asked Wednesday why no medical experts were at the briefing, Trump responded, "Because they're briefing me. I just spoke to (Dr. Anthony) Fauci and Dr. (Deborah) Birx is just right outside... it's a concise way of doing it." The U.S. continues to lead the world in covid-19 fatalities with more than 142,300. ---------------------- Could countries work together and strategize on how to fairly to make a fair distribution of the highly expected covid-19 vaccine? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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