{"id":137637,"date":"2021-09-02T20:44:54","date_gmt":"2021-09-02T20:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=137637"},"modified":"2021-09-02T20:44:54","modified_gmt":"2021-09-02T20:44:54","slug":"u-s-to-invest-3-billion-in-covid-19-vaccine-supply-chain-white-house-official","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/markets\/u-s-to-invest-3-billion-in-covid-19-vaccine-supply-chain-white-house-official\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. to invest $3 billion in COVID-19 vaccine supply chain -White House official"},"content":{"rendered":"
(Reuters) -The U.S. plans to invest $3 billion in the vaccine supply chain as it continues to work to position itself as a leading supplier of vaccines for the world, a top U.S. health official said on Thursday.<\/p> The funding, which will begin to be distributed in the coming weeks, will focus on manufacturers of the inputs used in COVID-19 vaccine production as well as facilities that fill and package vaccine vials, White House COVID adviser Jeffrey Zients said during a news conference.<\/p>\n \u201cThe investments we are making, the $3 billion, are in U.S. companies that will expand their capacity for critical supplies,\u201d Zients said.<\/p>\n He added that areas of focus will include lipids, bioreactor bags, tubing, needles, syringes, and personal protective equipment. The White House has not yet selected specific companies to receive the funds.<\/p>\n U.S. demand for COVID-19 vaccines remains high as the White House prepares to begin offering a third booster shot to Americans later this month, pending a regulator greenlight. The United States also plans to give hundreds of millions of shots to other countries during the remainder of the year.<\/p>\n Top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci added that he would not be surprised if a third dose became standard for COVID-19 vaccines that originally were expected to require two shots.<\/p>\n U.S. cases of COVID-19 have surged to a seven-day average of more than 150,000 per day, up from less than 10,000 in June, according to federal data, as the contagious new Delta variant continues to circulate.<\/p>\n The daily average of COVID-19 deaths has risen this week to more than 950 from around 900 last week, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said.<\/p>\n Fauci downplayed concerns about a new COVID-19 variant known as Mu, or B.1.621, that some scientists are concerned could be resistant to vaccines.<\/p>\n \u201cEven when you have variants that do diminish somewhat the efficacy of vaccines, the vaccines still are quite effective against variants of that type,\u201d Fauci said.<\/p>\n