The White House said Friday that states will continue to receive COVID-19 vaccines based on population, despite recent increases in cases. Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said it was not the time to change.
In the information session on Friday, dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted a 2% increase in the seven-day average of daily coronavirus cases and a 7% increase in hospital admissions. She also noted that the agency is working with the countries in the Middle East to address the increase in the number of cases to understand what is driving the boom.
“What is happening in Michigan and Minnesota is similar to what we are seeing nationwide with increasing cases related to youth sports,” she said, noting that the activities related to bunches are both club and school related.
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However, she warned that the increasing numbers are not an indication of transfer to school and that states should continue to take the lead in the safe reopening of classrooms for students.
Zients also confirmed that about one in four American adults has now been fully vaccinated, but warns that the work is far from over. He reaffirmed that Johnson & Johnson, despite a production snuff in recent weeks, plans to deliver on its promise to deliver 100 million doses by the end of May. After delivering 11 million doses a few weeks ago, the company delivered just 2 million this week.
The inconsistency in supply is expected, Zients said, because the company is “earlier in the manufacturing process and not in a regular weekly cadence that Moderna and Pfizer have reached.”
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He said the company is working with the FDA to bring another plant on board that will increase supply and manufacturing capability.