President Joe Biden said March 2 that the U.S. is now expected to have enough COVID-19 vaccine doses for all adults by the end of May, accelerating the timeline by two months, CNN reported.
The president credited the expedited timeline to a partnership announced earlier in the day between Merck and Johnson & Johnson, in which Merck agreed to help manufacturer J&J's COVID-19 vaccine.
President Biden compared the partnership between the two rival drugmakers to cooperation between companies during World War II, CNN reported.
The White House is invoking the Defense Production Act to help Merck equip two of its facilities to manufacture J&J's vaccine. The U.S. will help Merck increase its fill-finish capacity and boost its supply of components that make up the vaccine, according to CNN.
The president warned that there could still be delays getting the shots into arms.
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