Vaccine supply expected to surge soon
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The U.S. supply of coronavirus vaccines is expected to significantly expand over the next few months, with more than enough doses available to vaccinate all U.S. adults before the end of July, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: If manufacturing goes according to plan, the intense competition for shots will end relatively soon, and attention will turn instead to increasing vaccine uptake.
By the numbers: The U.S. is currently administering 1.6 million doses a day, and has a supply of 10 to 15 million doses a week.
- But the number of shots available weekly will increase steadily through the summer, per drugmakers' public statements and supply deals. Eventually, enough vaccine should be available to administer 4.5 million doses a day.
- Pfizer and Moderna have said they'll deliver more than 500 million additional doses by the end of July. Each person requires two doses.
- Johnson & Johnson is expected to deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine, which requires only one shot, by the end of June.
What they're saying: Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said earlier this week that the federal government hopes to have enough vaccine supply to cover 300 million Americans by the end of July.
- According to Bloomberg's analysis, that's likely an underestimate of how many shots will be available and when.
Yes, but: Having vaccines available is not the equivalent of putting shots in arms, as we learned during the initial rollout.
- Administering several million vaccine doses daily will be a logistical feat even if every American wanted one — which they don't.
- That means America's vaccine problem will quickly shift from supply to demand.
