May 4, 2021 - Politics & Policy

White House to redirect unordered vaccines to states where demand is higher

Orion Rummler

Biden pictured here wearing a suit and standing in front of a podium — Biden in Norfolk, Va., May 3. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

The White House on Tuesday warned states that unordered coronavirus vaccine supply will be made available to other states, Jeff Zients, Biden's COVID-19 response coordinator, told the Washington Post.

Why it matters: The shift in vaccine allocation — which comes after the administration reached its 100 million shots-in-arms milestone — would be the most significant shift in domestic distribution since Biden took office.

Details: The White House will add unordered vaccines into a federal bank, available to states where demand for vaccines outpaces supply, per the Post.

States can order up to 50% above their usual weekly allocation, which will still be determined by the state's portion of the overall U.S. population.

What they're saying: White House Press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the plan to reporters at Tuesday's briefing, saying that states can still order a full allocation of doses if they want to.

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White House to redirect unordered vaccines to states where demand is higher

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