‘By June anyone who wants a vaccine will have an opportunity to get’: Adm. Brett Giroir
Alex Edelman-Pool/Getty ImagesBY: ADIA ROBINSON, ABC NEWS
(WASHINGTON) — Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir expressed confidence about vaccine dose availability following allegations that vaccine doses were cut.
“There were some initial projections in November, that was even before we had any vaccine authorized much less two authorized,” Giroir said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “The specific projections for this week were given on Tuesday of last week. And those are on track.”
He also told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that the Trump administration is confident that by June anyone who wants a vaccine will have an opportunity to get one.
There are more than 17.6 million coronavirus cases in the U.S., according to data from Johns Hopkins University and at least 316,000 people have died as of Sunday.
McKesson Corporation, a health care company, has begun to distribute the recently authorized Moderna vaccine and the supply kits used to administer it, the company said in a statement Sunday.
Government officials including Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell received COVID-19 vaccines Friday.
“Today, Karen and I wanted to step forward and take this vaccine to ensure the American people that while we cut red tape, we cut no corners,” Pence said Friday, referring to second lady Karen Pence who was also vaccinated. “Karen and I hope this step today will be a source of confidence and of comfort to the American people.”
President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden are expected to be vaccinated Monday.
The U.S. reported as of Friday, 249,709 new cases of COVID-19, a record number, according to data from John Hopkins University. As of Saturday evening, there are more than 113,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.
As coronavirus cases rise, some states have reimposed social distancing guidelines. On Friday, Apple announced that it would temporarily close all of its stores in California, which had more than 43,000 new COVID-19 cases and 272 deaths Saturday.
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