Move FM Global News

NEW YORK, New York: The United States’ vaccine supply will soon be greater than the nation’s demand.

That was the assessment of Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a Pfizer board member and former Food and Drug Administration commissioner.

Further, Gottlieb told the media on Sunday that the United States should maintain its plan to deliver doses to states based upon population, repeating that he expects the nation’s supply of vaccines to be greater than its demand in as early as three weeks.

“I think a lot of states are going to see themselves with excess supplies and excess appointments. So it’s going to be a shame when we look back in retrospect and realize that we probably should have put more vaccines into some of these hot spots to snuff them out earlier,” he said.

To date, the United States has administered 183,467,709 vaccine doses with 35.3 percent of the population having received at least one dose and 21.3 percent being fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, Gottlieb’s comments came amid the state of Michigan’s surge of virus infections, which saw 6,892 new cases and 74 deaths on Saturday, and 7,834 cases Friday.

On Sunday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she has asked the White House to provide additional vaccines to Michigan, while asking the public to take a two-week “pause”, which includes urging high schools to suspend in-person classes, youth sport games, and indoor dining and gatherings.

“Right now, we know we’ve got even greater capacity. We could get more vaccines in arms. And when there’s a surge, we think it’s important that we rush in to meet where that need is, because what’s happening in Michigan today could be what’s happening in other states tomorrow,” Whitmer said.