The White House said Friday that Johnson & Johnson will deliver at least 11 million doses next week, a significant increase to meet the company’s goal of 20 million total doses delivered to the United States by the end of March.
Whether the company will be able to meet the 20 million dose target has been uncertain, as Johnson & Johnson have experienced uneven manufacturing.
But the White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients
Jeff ZientsTop industry groups press administration for May 1 roadmap to reopen US international travel are under pressure to share vaccines with the rest of the world Sunday previews: Democrats declare victory on COVID-19 stimulus; Vaccination efforts provide more hope for the summer said Friday that the company is ready to achieve the goal.
“The company has said it will deliver the 20 million by the end of March,” Zients said during a press briefing. “And from our conversations with the company, they are on track to achieve this goal with at least 11 million doses administered next week.”
The White House worked with the company to try to increase production. There were a relatively small number of doses, 4 million, available when the vaccine was first approved in late February.
Supply was also lacking in early March, but the company significantly increased its production.
“We’ve done a lot to help J&J,” Zients said. “We are monitoring this very closely.”
Pfizer and Moderna, which have had more stable manufacturing processes, are also on track to meet their targets by the end of March, Zients said. Pfizer previously set a target of 120 million total doses by the end of March, with 100 million for Moderna.
President Biden
Joe Biden The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden changes filibuster GOP seeks to squeeze Biden, border Democrats Sanders create new headache for Biden on taxes MORE On Thursday, it raised its target to manage 200 million photos in its first 100 days, and the country has an average of about 2.5 million photos a day, a solid pace.
About half of the states will have eligibility for all adults by mid-April, Zients said. Biden has set a goal for all states to open the eligibility of all adults by May 1.