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Inclement weather has led to a delay in the shipping of vaccine doses, says Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for the coronavirus response. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Biden says he can’t give specific date for the end of pandemic crisis

February 19, 2021 at 10:45 p.m. EST

President Biden hesitated in giving a specific timeline for when every American will be able to get a vaccine and when the country will be able to return to normalcy.

During a visit to the Pfizer vaccine manufacturing facility in Michigan on Friday, the president said he wanted to be “straight” with the American people and explained that issues such as weather events, emerging virus mutations and manufacturing delays could pose significant challenges to the vaccination process.  

Here are some significant developments:

  • Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed a $2.2 billion coronavirus relief bill Friday, based on legislation passed earlier this month, as the state sees a drop in case counts but concerns about variants remain.
  • Pfizer is expanding its vaccine production capabilities at locations in Michigan and Connecticut and adding a facility in Kansas to its coronavirus fill-finish production process, the company’s chief executive, Albert Bourla, said in a news conference Friday.
  • More than 59 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the United States — 1.8 million more doses reported since Thursday, according to data published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 41.9 million people have received one dose of the vaccine and more than 17 million people have been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
  • Global vaccination efforts were set to get a boost Friday as Western governments and pharmaceutical companies pledged doses and funds to help poorer nations step up immunization campaigns. The Biden administration is expected to promise $4 billion in assistance, while Britain and France said they would donate or set aside portions of their vaccine supplies.
  • The world needs — and has the capacity to develop — a universal coronavirus vaccine that could cover all SARS-Cov-2 mutations and other coronaviruses, top infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci said Friday.
  • Border sanitary infection filters will be installed in the Calexico West Port of Entry for those essential workers who wish to enter Baja California, Mexico, through Calexico, Calif., the Mexican government announced Friday night.
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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed a $2.2 billion coronavirus relief bill Friday, based on legislation passed earlier this month, as the state sees a drop in case counts but concerns about variants remain.
Pfizer is expanding its vaccine production capabilities at locations in Michigan and Connecticut and adding a facility in Kansas to its coronavirus fill-finish production process, the company’s chief executive, Albert Bourla, said in a news conference Friday.
More than 59 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the United States — 1.8 million more doses reported since Thursday, according to data published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 41.9 million people have received one dose of the vaccine and more than 17 million people have been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
Global vaccination efforts were set to get a boost Friday as Western governments and pharmaceutical companies pledged doses and funds to help poorer nations step up immunization campaigns. The Biden administration is expected to promise $4 billion in assistance, while Britain and France said they would donate or set aside portions of their vaccine supplies.
The world needs — and has the capacity to develop — a universal coronavirus vaccine that could cover all SARS-Cov-2 mutations and other coronaviruses, top infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci said Friday.
Border sanitary infection filters will be installed in the Calexico West Port of Entry for those essential workers who wish to enter Baja California, Mexico, through Calexico, Calif., the Mexican government announced Friday night.

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