Biden: U.S. to have enough COVID-19 vaccines for all adults by May, school workers to receive first dose by end of March

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S. will have enough vaccine supply for every American adult by the end of May, two months sooner than expected, and said he is directing states to prioritize schools workers to receive their first vaccine dose by the end of March.

The president's expedited timeline came as he announced a new partnership between pharmaceutical companies Merck and Johnson & Johnson, which received emergency use authorization for its single-dose vaccine over the weekend. Merck will help Johnson & Johnson make its newly approved vaccine to meet the goal of delivering 100 million doses by the end of June.

"We’re now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May," Biden said during remarks at the White House.

While Biden hailed the announcement as "important progress," he warned that the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic was far from over and that his updated timeline did not mean every American adult would be vaccinated by May.

"It's not enough to have a vaccine supply. We need vaccinators, people who put the shots in people's arms," he said.

The president had previously said the U.S. would have enough vaccine supply – 600 million doses – to inoculate every adult by the end of July, but administration officials have cautioned that it could take much longer to vaccinate a majority of Americans due to the logistical challenges of distribution and the massive undertaking of administering doses across the country.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one of three authorized for use in the U.S. by Food and Drug Administration, along with vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. The company announced Sunday it would deliver 3.9 million doses to vaccine distribution centers across the country as early as Tuesday and pledged to send a total of 20 million doses through the month of March.

Biden said he will also use the Defense Production Act, a wartime authority that gives the president emergency authority to mobilize domestic industries, to spur the production of critical vaccine supplies and equipment. He said he invoked the DPA to ensure Merck facilities are equipped to manufacture the vaccine and that Johnson & Johnson planned to operate its facilities 24 hours a day to boost vaccine production.

Biden also called on states to prioritize educators, school staff members and childcare workers for grades K through 12 to receive at least one vaccine shot by the end of March. The president does not have the authority to direct states on vaccine distribution but said the administration would use its federal partnership with local pharmacies to prioritize school workers.

"I want to be very clear, not every educator will be able to get their appointment in the first week, but our goal is to do everything we can to help every educator receive a shot this month," he said. "We're making progress from the mess we inherited. We're moving in the right direction."

School reopenings have becoming a political lightning rod in the pandemic as teachers, parents and politicians debate the conditions needed in order to return to the classroom. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced guidance last month that vaccinating teachers was not a prerequisite for reopening schools.

"We can reopen schools if the right steps are taken, even before employees are vaccinated," Biden said. "But time and again, we've heard from educators and parents that have anxieties about that."

Biden noted that more than 30 states have prioritized school workers but said he would use the "full authority of the federal government" to treat in-person learning "like the essential service that it is."

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said it was a "tremendous relief to have a president who is meeting this moment of crisis."

"For far too long, the rhetoric of prioritizing educators went unmatched with policy, action or effort," Weingarten said. "The Biden administration has stepped up, and our students, educators, school staff and communities will be better and safer for it."

Asked by a reporter when the U.S. would see a return to normalcy, Biden said he was advised not to answer that question due to uncertainty but that he hoped it would to see a change by next year.

"My hope is by this time next year we are going to be back to normal or before that is my hope," he said.

Contributing: Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden: U.S. to have enough COVID-19 vaccines for all adults by May