President-elect Joe Biden may accelerate distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to US states, a spokesperson said on Friday, in an effort to jump-start lagging inoculations that have made little impact on the pandemic one week into the new year.
That move by Biden when he takes office in less than two weeks would be a departure from a Trump administration strategy of holding back a supply to ensure that required second doses of the vaccines are available.
It would also require that Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc, makers of the first two coronavirus vaccines authorised for use in the United States, are able to maintain a consistent supply so second shots could still be administered on schedule.
“The President-elect believes we must accelerate distribution of the vaccine while continuing to ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible,” TJ Ducklo, a spokesperson for Biden’s transition, told Reuters.
