US Seeks Boost In COVID-19 Vaccine Production By 1Bln Doses Per Year - White House

Companies with experience making vaccines based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology are being solicited by the Biden administration in a bid to boost annual US production by a billion doses and also to prepare for future pandemics, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2021) Companies with experience making vaccines based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology are being solicited by the Biden administration in a bid to boost annual US production by a billion doses and also to prepare for future pandemics, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said on Wednesday.

"The goal of this program is to expand existing capacity by an additional billion doses per yearwith production starting by the second half of 2022. This program would also help us produce doses within six to nine month of identification of a future pathogen and ensure enough vaccines for all Americans," Zients said in a press conference.

Vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna use mRNA technology, which prompts a person's immune system to produce antibodies targeting the novel coronavirus and also reportedly stimulates other defenses against pathogens such as killer T-cells. However, some scientists have more recently questioned the efficiency and safety of the mRNA technology vaccines.

Zients said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is asking companies with experience making vaccines with mRNA to provide feedback on the best way to proceed.