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On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden announced the United States will have enough vaccine supply to cover all adults by the end of May 2021. That’s made possible because of the 3^rd vaccine by Johnson & Johnson. It is now available for emergency use and being shipped across the United States. President Biden has announced a new partnership between competitors “Johnson & Johnson” and pharmaceutical giant “Merck”. The partnership will help Johnson & Johnson produce more of its single-shot vaccine that was authorized over the weekend for emergency use. Biden’s end of May timeline doesn’t mean all American adults will be vaccinated by then, as administering the shots will take longer. On Tuesday, Biden said, “Two of the largest health care and pharmaceutical companies in the world that are usually competitors are working together on the vaccine”.

President Biden also announced that his administration is directing states to prioritize vaccinating teachers, childcare workers, and school staff through the administration’s partnership with pharmacies. Biden said he needs all such educators and support staff to have at least one vaccine shot by the end of March 2021. The President said he will use the Defense Production Act to accelerate the production of equipment, machinery, and supplies. He said he hopes the nation will return to normal by this time next year. Johnson & Johnson started shipping out 4 million doses early Monday morning. It is 6 million less than it’s originally committed to having ready by the end of February 2021. The company expects to deliver more than 20 million doses by the end of March and 100 million by the end of June 2021.

It is noteworthy that a senior official of the Biden administration said Merck will dedicate 2 factories to filling and producing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This has the potential to dramatically increase the supply of the vaccine. Merck pulled the plug on the development of its own COVID-19 vaccines in January, following poor results in early-stage studies. The drug-manufacturer said its potential vaccines were well tolerated by patients but generated an inferior immune system response compared with competitors. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine has been shown to provide 85% protection against severe COVID-19 by 28 days after vaccination. Millions of Americans are not getting their second dose within the recommended time period for ensuring optimal protection from the virus.