- Medicine manufacturer AstraZeneca has reportedly promised to increase its production to 2 million shots a week by mid-January, even if the explosion of the government’s vaccine does not live up to expectations.
- ‘The plan is to build it up pretty quickly. By the third week of January, we should reach two million a week, ‘an AstraZeneca employee told The Times.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, hospitals and clinics in the US have taken a “more measured” approach than expected when they began distributing the vaccines.
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Medicine manufacturer AstraZeneca has reportedly promised to increase its production to 2 million shots a week by mid-January, even if the explosion of the government’s vaccine does not live up to expectations.
‘The plan is to build it up pretty quickly. By the third week of January, we should reach two million a week, ‘an AstraZeneca employee told The Times.
This will double the current production.
Although vaccine production is accelerating, governments around the world have struggled to live up to their promised implementation plans. Far fewer people than expected received the vaccine by the end of last year.
By the end of the year, there were approximately 2.8 million shots distributed in the U.S., a fraction of the 20 million, as hospitals and clinics, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, took a “more measured” approach to the distribution of had vaccines.
“Many jurisdictions are planning to start a more moderate vaccination, and I’m excited that 2.5 million people have been vaccinated and are on their way to being protected,” said Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and respiratory diseases, said. in a personal information session.
She added: “I really expect the numbers to increase rapidly next week.”
In the UK, officials have said that Pfizer’s vaccine, which requires two shots, will be given 12 weeks apart, instead of the expected 21 days, according to BBC News.
The number of vaccine doses promised in 2021 is staggering and continues to grow.
Pfizer, with partner BioNTech, said last week that it would deliver another 100 million doses to the European Union this year, bringing the total to 300 million.
This brings the total expected production of 2021 to 1.3 billion bottles of Comirnaty, the name given to its COVID-19 vaccine.
“We remain committed to moving as quickly and safely as possible to bring this vaccine to more people in Europe, as the deadly virus continues to spread at an alarming rate,” said Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer. a statement said.
AstraZeneca’s increase to 2 million doses per week is welcome news for the UK, which has contracts for 100 million doses.
About 530,000 doses of AstraZeneca will be available on Monday, with an additional 407,000 doses to be added soon, according to Channel 4 News. Early last year, the British government promised 30 million doses by September.
AstraZeneca did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Just like Pfizer’s drug, AstraZeneca also needs two shots. UK officials on New Year’s Eve said the two were interchangeable, but some health professionals said it could be dangerous to mix the two.