Biden admin eyes $3B for coronavirus vaccine supply chain

 The Biden administration is committing almost $3 billion to the coronavirus vaccine supply chain as the White House aims to expand U.S. manufacturing of the doses, federal officials announced on Thursday. 

The investment in the supply chain will start “in the coming weeks,” and will help companies implement new production lines and facilities, and will help create jobs, White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said during a briefing. 

“This $3 billion investment in our vaccine supply chain will create thousands of the main American jobs, help us deliver on the president's commitment to be the arsenal of vaccines for the world and strengthen our long-term capabilities to respond to future threats,” Zients said.

The White House said officials will choose the companies that will receive funding in the “next several weeks.”

Zients said the U.S. has provided financial support for vaccine manufacturing that extends across the whole supply chain, including vaccine manufacturing equipment, inputs and supplies, which he said has sped up production. 

“These actions have paid off as American companies have significantly increased their capacity to produce vaccines for the US, and for the world,” he said.

“We're doing everything in our power to ensure everyone, both here at home and around the world, has access to vaccines, because more vaccinations are how we end this pandemic,” Zients added. 

In total, the White House has already vowed to donate more than 600 million doses globally, with 130 million doses shipped so far to 90 countries, officials said.

Last month, 22 House Democrats called for the U.S. to create a “Marshall Plan” to boost global vaccinations and to provide more funding to the supply chain to manufacture more doses.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/570636-biden-admin-announces-3b-for-vaccine-supply-chain