The US could have 50 million vaccine doses before it’s ready to use them

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may not authorize a Covid-19 vaccine until January 2021 at the earliest, according to Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—but that isn’t stopping drug manufactures from cranking them out by the millions ahead of time. Between Moderna and Pfizer, makers of the two vaccines emphasized in federal distribution preparedness plans, the US should have access to at least 50 million vaccine doses by the end of 2020. In an earnings call on Oct. 23, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla stated that the company had already made “hundreds of thousands” of doses of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate; he expects to have 30 million to 40 million doses ready to deliver to the US by the end of the year, with plans to reach 100 million by March 2021.