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Good news is always welcome, but unexpected good news in the fight against COVID-19 is even sweeter. During this past year as COVID-19 held the United States and the rest of the world hostage, good news has been scarce and usually centered around the development, rollout and distribution of vaccines — but even this bright spot has been exceedingly frustrating.
The unexpected good news delivered by President Joe Biden was the historic partnership between pharmaceutical companies Merck and Johnson & Johnson to manufacture the latter’s COVID-19 vaccine. This will help make it possible to have enough shots for every adult in the country by the end of May. The Biden administration previously set this goal for the end of July.
Hurdles may still remain in terms of distribution and vaccine hesitancy, but it's welcome news to see two rivals working together in our fight against COVID, and this agreement could prove particularly important in the second half of the year as new variants emerge and booster shots may be required.
The announcement, coming as the new one-dose vaccine is being rolled out, is the culmination of the administration's direct involvement. When Johnson & Johnson announced it would be able to provide little more than half of the doses it had contracted to deliver by the end of March, the administration negotiated with the company, convincing it to make a number of production changes to accelerate the timeline and enlisting Merck to help.
Biden also announced he would invoke the Defense Production Act, the Korean War-era law that gives the government the authority to, among other things, issue loans and provide funding to expand a vendor's capacity and to prioritize the government's order before those of other clients. This allows the government to provide Johnson & Johnson with the supplies necessary to make the vaccine while also assisting Merck in retrofitting a manufacturing plant that will be used for production.
This partnership and escalated timetable for vaccinations illustrate how leadership and competence can make government work for the good of everyone. But vaccines are only part of the fight against COVID-19.
Biden has also told the American people that despite the good news, we must continue wearing masks, social distancing and following public health guidelines.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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