White House Purchases 200 Million More COVID-19 Vaccine Doses

President Joe Biden’s administration announced Thursday it secured the purchase of an additional 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The administration said in January it was looking to purchase an additional 100 million doses each from Pfizer and Moderna. The additional doses bring a 50% increase in available vaccine doses, which will help the Biden administration meet the number of doses needed to cover 300 million people by the end of July. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, predicted on Thursday morning that "any American," including those outside priority categories, could begin seeking a vaccine as early as April. Though according to Biden, "we've now purchased enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all Americans," he warned that it would still be difficult to distribute the two-dose vaccines which must be spaced three to four weeks apart. Biden also criticized former President Donald Trump's handling of the pandemic and the vaccine distribution. The story was widely covered by outlets across the political spectrum. Some outlets from both the left and the right highlighted Biden's criticism of Trump.