Trump Administration Officials ‘Passed’ When Pfizer Offered to Sell U.S. More Vaccine Doses: NYT

KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images

A new report from The New York Times says that officials from the Trump administration “passed” when Pfizer offered to sell the United States more doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

Back in July, Pfizer — one of the companies that has produced what looks like a very effective covid vaccine~ — announced a $1.95 billion deal with the United States to get 100 million doses of the vaccine once it was completed. Because it’s a two-dose vaccine, that would mean 50 million people would be able to get vaccinated from that batch.

Moderna has also produced a vaccine that appears to be effective, and other companies are continuing trials as well.

The New York Times reported Monday that “Trump administration officials passed when Pfizer offered in late summer to sell the U.S. government additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, according to people familiar with the matter”:

The issue the Times report notes is that “now Pfizer may not be able provide more of its vaccine to the United States until next June because of its commitments to other countries.”

A spokesperson for Health and Human Services told the Times, “We are confident that we will have 100 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine as agreed to in our contract, and beyond that, we have five other vaccine candidates.”

The Times report comes on the heels of a report from Fox News earlier that the president is planning to sign what’s being described as an “America First’ executive order on vaccines to “ensure all Americans have access to the coronavirus vaccine before the U.S. government begins aiding nations around the world.”

After the Times report took off on social media, ABC News confirmed the reporting.