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– Modern and the Food and Drug Administration have agreed on a way to get more coronavirus vaccine to its destination, and it sounds simple enough: put more in each vial. If you fill the bottles closer to the edge, it will be 40% more in each New York Times reports – 14 doses instead of 10. This may be enough to increase the vaccine supply in the US by 20%. The dose is 0.5 milliliters per Hill. The FDA has asked the company to submit data showing that the change will not reduce its effectiveness. Work on the production lines to adapt to the change could be completed by the end of April. “It would be a big step forward,” said Dr. Moncef Slaoui, who was involved in the Trump administration’s vaccine development program, said. “I think it will have an impact in the short term.”
The company sought approval for the change last month. This will facilitate the slowdown when the bottles are filled, covered and labeled. The FDA may decide to inspect the production process after any changes. Moderna also wants the stated life of the vaccine to be extended once the seal is pierced. The company said in a statement that it continues to increase production. Moderna has said it has delivered 41 million doses to the federal government so far, and President Biden said this week that the U.S. is buying another 100 million doses of Moderna. The actual number of doses per vial may be unclear: although the CDC says it is ten, special syringes could already draw 11 doses. (Read more stories about coronavirus vaccination.)