With more than 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines available, U.S. health authorities said they’re confident there will be enough for both qualified older Americans seeking booster shots and the young children for whom initial vaccines are expected to be approved in the not-too-distant future.<\/b>
\nMADISON, Wis. \u2014 With more than 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines available, U.S. health authorities said they\u2019re confident there will be enough for both qualified older Americans seeking booster shots and the young children for whom initial vaccines are expected to be approved in the not-too-distant future. The spike in demand \u2014 expected following last week\u2019s federal recommendation on booster shots \u2014 would be the first significant jump in months. More than 70 million Americans remain unvaccinated despite the enticement of lottery prizes, free food or gifts and pleas from exhausted health care workers as the average number of deaths per day climbed to more than 1,900 in recent weeks. Federal and state health authorities said current supply and steady production of more doses can easily accommodate those seeking boosters or initial vaccination, avoiding a repeat of the frustratingly slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines across the country early this year. \u201cI hope that we have the level of interest in the booster\u2026 that we need more vaccines,\u201d Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday. \u201cThat\u2019s simply not where we are today. We have plenty of vaccines.\u201d Robust supply in the U. S enabled President Biden this week to promise an additional 500 million of Pfizer\u2019s COVID-19 shots to share with the world, doubling the United States\u2019 global contribution. Aid groups and health organizations have pushed the U.S. and other countries to improve vaccine access in countries where even the most vulnerable people haven\u2019t had a shot. Among the challenges states face is not ordering too many doses and letting them go to waste. Several states with low vaccination rates, including Idaho and Kansas, have reported throwing away thousands of expired doses or are struggling to use vaccines nearing expiration this fall. While most vaccines can stay on the shelf unopened for months, once a vial is opened the clock starts ticking. Vaccines are only usable for six to 12 hours, depending on the manufacturer, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Moderna vaccines come in vials containing 11 to 15 doses. Pfizer vials contain up to six doses and Johnson & Johnson vials have five doses. \u201cWe are going to see more doses that go unused over time,\u201d said Wisconsin\u2019s health secretary, Karen Timberlake. \u201cThey come in multidose vials. They don\u2019t come in nice, tidy individual single-serving packages.\u201d U.S. health officials late Thursday endorsed booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine for all Americans 65 and older \u2014 along with boosters for tens of millions of younger people who are at higher risk from the coronavirus because of health conditions or their jobs.<\/p>\n