Government

U.S. government agrees to purchase 100 million additional Pfizer vaccines

By Penni Schewe 3 weeks ago

The Department of Health and Human Services with the Department of Defense today announced they will purchase another 100 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Officials are confident that this deal will ensure that there are enough vaccines available for every American who wants one by June 2021, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said.

Under the agreement, Pfizer will manufacture and distribute the 100 million doses to government-designated locations. At least 70 million doses will be delivered by the end of June 2021, with the remaining doses to be delivered by the end of July.

The federal government and Pfizer’s agreement includes the option to purchase an additional 400 million doses of the vaccine as a part of “ongoing coordination” between the two, HHS said.

WHY THIS MATTERS

With these additional doses, HHS says it will be able to seamlessly transition from the first 100 million doses it procured earlier this

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Israelis Flock to the Gulf, Undeterred by Government Warning of Iranian Attacks

By Penni Schewe 1 month ago

Israelis are traveling in droves to the United Arab Emirates for work and pleasure, filling up the first-ever direct commercial flights between the two countries in pursuit of new opportunities in the Persian Gulf despite heightened tensions in the region.

The U.A.E. hosts a fairly large Iranian population and has regular direct flights from Iran, raising Israeli concerns that its citizens could be targeted by Tehran there in the wake of the killing of a top Iranian scientist last month.

Iran has blamed Israel for the Nov. 27 killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, considered the father of the country’s nuclear program, and has vowed revenge.

Israel hasn’t confirmed or denied its involvement. It urged its citizens to stay vigilant and avoid crowded public areas in the U.A.E., citing the threat of Iranian attacks.

For now, those threats haven’t dissuaded Israeli investors such as

Dorian Barak

from traveling to the U.A.E.

“A

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