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u.s. news Diahuebs 24 December 2020

Pfizer to supply US with additional 100M doses of vaccine

(AP) — Pfizer said Pratt. “Through the selective
Wednesday it will sup- application of DPA authori-
ply the U.S. government ties, OWS helps prioritize
with an additional 100 access to the critical materi-
million doses of its CO- als and supplies necessary to
VID-19 vaccine under a expand vaccine production in
new agreement between support of U.S. government
the pharmaceutical giant contracts.”
and the Trump adminis- The other four vaccines are
tration. undergoing trials to deter-
mine their effectiveness and
Pfizer and its German part- better understand their over-
ner BioNTech said that will all safety.
bring their total current com- Pfizer and BioNTech under-
mitment to 200 million doses took their own vaccine devel-
for the U.S. That should be opment, maintaining a more
enough to vaccinate 100 mil- arms-length relationship
lion people with the two-shot with the government. But
regimen. The government approval of their vaccine won
also has an option to pur- them immediate name recog-
chase an additional 400 mil- more Americans will have ration that led to Moderna’s ment and healthcare provid- nition, raising hopes of tam-
lion doses. access to the free vaccines, vaccine. The money will al- ers around the country.” ing a pandemic that has killed
“This new federal purchase which have been shown to low Merck to deliver up to Pfizer initially had a contract more than 320,000 Ameri-
can give Americans even be highly effective in clinical 100,000 doses by June 30, if through Operation Warp cans and hobbled much of
more confidence that we will studies undertaken so far. the FDA clears the treatment Speed to supply the govern- the economy. Local TV sta-
have enough supply to vac- Separately, HHS announced for emergency use. ment with 100 million doses tions across the country be-
cinate every American who it has joined forces with an- The current wave of COV- of its vaccine. The drugmak- gan broadcasting scenes of
wants it by June 2021,” said other big pharma company ID-19 is straining hospitals in er will receive nearly $2 bil- doctors and nurses garbed in
Health and Human Services — Merck— to support the a number of states, from Cal- lion for that deal as well. hospital scrubs receiving the
Secretary Alex Azar in a state- large-scale manufacture of a ifornia to Pennsylvania, and The Associated Press previ- first vaccinations. Some polls
ment. The cost to taxpayers: promising treatment for pa- Oklahoma to Rhode Island. ously reported that the gov- showed easing skepticism
$1.95 billion for the addition- tients suffering from severe Having better treatments ernment was close to reach- about getting vaccinated.
al 100 million doses. COVID-19 illness. would help keep patients out ing the just-announced deal After early failures with test-
To aid vaccine production, The treatment, still under of intensive care, improv- with Pfizer in exchange for ing, Trump administration
the government said it is us- investigation and not yet ap- ing their chances of survival helping the company gain officials are hoping to write
ing its authority under a Cold proved by the FDA, is known and reducing the burden and better access to manufactur- a very different ending with
War-era law that allows it to as MK-7110. It has the po- stress on hospital staff. ing supplies. vaccines. Operation Warp
direct private manufacturing. tential to minimize the dam- Under the Pfizer deal an- A law dating back to the Ko- Speed has financed the de-
Pfizer’s vaccine was the first aging effects of an overactive nounced Wednesday, the rean War gives the govern- velopment, manufacture and
to be approved for emer- immune response to CO- company will deliver at least ment authority to direct pri- distribution of millions of
gency use by the Food and VID-19. This immune over- 70 million of the additional vate companies to produce doses, with the goal of pro-
Drug Administration. It has drive unleashes a cascade of vaccine doses by June 30, critical goods in times of viding a free vaccine to any
now been joined by another effects on the human body, with the remaining 30 mil- national emergency. Called American who wants one.
two-shot vaccine from Mod- complicating the life-saving lion to be delivered no later the Defense Production Act, Operation Warp Speed is on
erna, developed in close col- efforts of doctors and nurses. than July 31. it’s expected to help Pfizer track to have about 40 mil-
laboration with the National The government is paying “With these 100 million ad- secure some raw materials lion doses of vaccine by the
Institutes of Health. The Merck about $356 million to ditional doses, the United needed for its vaccine. end of this month, of which
government began shipping fast-track production of its States will be able to protect “Operation Warp Speed and about 20 million would be al-
the Pfizer vaccine to states treatment under the auspices more individuals and hope- the Department of Health located for first vaccinations.
last week, and the one from of Operation Warp Speed, a fully end this devastating and Human Services are us- Distribution of those doses
Moderna this week. joint effort between HHS, pandemic more quickly,” ing the Defense Production would span into the first
The priority groups for first the Pentagon, and drug com- Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Act to support the production week of January. Both the
vaccination include health panies to develop vaccines said in a statement. “We look of the six OWS-related vac- Pfizer and Moderna vaccines
care workers and nursing and treatments for COV- forward to continuing our cines, including Pfizer,” said require two shots to be fully
home residents. Gradually ID-19. It’s the same collabo- work with the U.S. govern- HHS spokesman Michael effective.

Ivanka Trump helps load food into cars of drivers in need

(AP) — Presidential line for the food and slept in
daughter Ivanka Trump her car.
helped load boxes of food “It’s a big help for my house,
into the cars of drivers for my neighbor,” Fuentes
who showed up at a South said. “We can share with ev-
Florida drive-through erybody.”
food distribution event Another food recipient, Viv-
for those in need. ian Lopez, said she had lost
her job because of the pan-
“Merry Christmas,” Trump demic.
said Tuesday as she hauled a “We are living really hard
black box into a car’s trunk times,” Lopez said.
in the parking lot of King Je- The food giveaway isn’t too
sus Ministry in Miami-Dade far from where Trump and
County, according to WSVN. her husband, Jared Kushner,
One driver in the line, Karla recently bought property
Fuentes, told the Miami tele- on Indian Creek Island near
vision station that she had Miami, an area referred to
gotten to the church more as “Billionaires Bunker,” ac-
than 12 hours earlier to get in cording to news reports.