Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), wears a protective mask during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. Azar is appearing before the committee to testify on the coronavirus crisis and the Trump administration’s portrayal of Covid-19 deaths. Photographer: Michael A. McCoy/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Thursday the U.S. could have enough Covid-19 vaccine doses for every American as early as March, a more optimistic estimate than President Donald Trump has publicly said.
The Trump administration’s coronavirus vaccine program Operation Warp Speed expects to have up to 100 million doses by the end of the year, Azar said during a keynote speech at the Goldman Sachs Healthcare virtual event on the coronavirus. That’s “enough to cover especially vulnerable populations,” he said.
“We project having enough for every American who wants a vaccine by March to April 2021,” he added.
Azar said the U.S. is currently manufacturing doses for all six potential vaccines backed by the U.S. government across more than 23 manufacturing facilities. That includes vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, which are all in late-stage testing. The U.S. is also obtaining the needles, syringes, bottles and other supplies needed for immunizations, he said.
Trump has repeatedly insisted a vaccine could be authorized as early as October with enough vaccine doses for every American by April.
Azar’s comments comes days after the Food and Drug Administration laid out updated safety standards for Covid-19 vaccine makers. That standards, posted in a document on the FDA’s website, would almost certainly prevent the introduction of a vaccine before the presidential election Nov. 3.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
