PORTAGE, Mich. – During his first visit to Michigan since elected president, Joe Biden delivered remarks from the Pfizer manufacturing site in Kalamazoo County on Friday, Feb. 19.
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Recap: Biden outlines plan to ramp up US vaccine rollout while at Michigan Pfizer facility
President Biden was originally scheduled to visit Pfizer’s largest manufacturing site in Portage on Thursday this week. His trip was postponed until Friday due to winter weather conditions impacting the region.
Pfizer is one of two companies manufacturing coronavirus vaccines that have been authorized for widespread use in the United States. Tens of millions of vaccine doses have been produced and shipped out of the Portage facility.
Biden will reportedly tour the Pfizer facility on Friday. Pfizer says it takes about 110 days to produce a batch of the COVID vaccine. Earlier this month, the company said it is launching “Project Light Speed” as it plans to make vaccine production more efficient.
Pfizer expects to make a batch of the vaccine in about 60 days, meaning more doses are on the way.
Several shipments of coronavirus vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna have been delayed to Michigan and other states this week due to severe weather conditions.
Read: COVID vaccine shipments to Michigan delayed amid severe weather
White House coronavirus response adviser Andy Slavitt said Friday that the federal government, states and local vaccinators are going to have to redouble efforts to catch up. The setback from sprawling winter storms comes just as the vaccination campaign seemed to be on the verge of hitting its stride. All the backlogged doses should be delivered in the next several days, Slavitt said, still confident that the pace of vaccinations will recover.
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