Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Administration To Buy 100M Additional J&J Vaccine Doses
NBC News: Biden Announces Plan To Purchase Additional 100 Million Johnson And Johnson Covid Vaccine Doses
President Joe Biden announced plans Wednesday to purchase an additional 100 million doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, giving the U.S. more than enough supply to vaccinate the entire U.S. population. "I am doing this because, in this wartime effort, we need maximum flexibility. There's always a chance that we'll encounter unexpected challenges or there will be a new need for vaccine effort," Biden said during a meeting with executives from pharmaceutical companies J&J and Merck. "A lot can happen, a lot can change, and we need to be prepared." (Bennett and Pettypiece, 3/10)
The Washington Post: Biden Orders 100 Million More Vaccine Shots From Johnson & Johnson
The new order, which Johnson & Johnson indicated has not been finalized, will bring total U.S. orders of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to 200 million doses. Because it’s a one-dose vaccine, the supply will represent enough for 200 million people. It is not expected to be fulfilled until the second half of the year, administration officials said. (Rowland and Stanley-Becker, 3/10)
The Wall Street Journal: Biden Seeks Deal To Buy Additional 100 Million Doses Of J&J Covid-19 Vaccine
If an agreement with J&J is completed, the additional supply would double the company’s previous commitment to provide 100 million doses to the U.S. Taking into account commitments by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. to provide 600 million doses of their two-shot vaccines, the U.S. is expected to have more than enough supply by the end of May to vaccinate the eligible U.S. population, Mr. Biden said. (Siddiqui and Restuccia, 3/10)
In related news about the supply of Johnson & Johnson shots —
Bloomberg: J&J Vaccine Rollout Slowed By Shifting State Strategies
Almost two weeks after being cleared by regulators, Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot coronavirus vaccine is not yet providing a visible jolt to the U.S. immunization campaign. Roughly 3.6 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been distributed since the shot received emergency authorization on Feb. 27. But only 440,000 have been put in people’s arms. In California, which received 440,000 doses across all providers in the state, only 2,200 shots have been administered, according to federal data. (LaVito and Shah, 3/10)
Los Angeles Times: Johnson & Johnson Shortage To Tighten L.A. COVID Vaccines
In the coming weeks, Los Angeles County’s supply of COVID-19 vaccine will tighten because of an expected shortage of shots manufactured by Johnson & Johnson — just as people with underlying health conditions become eligible for inoculations. “The next two weeks, we’re not going to get any Johnson & Johnson [vaccine doses]. That’s a manufacturing production issue,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Tuesday, warning that the vaccine supply in March will be tight. (Lin II, Money and Cosgrove, 3/10)
