共和国总统乔·拜登周三宣布推动采购1亿剂强生疫苗待交付2021年下半年的某个时候。

“我这样做是因为在战时的努力中，我们需要最大的灵活性。我们总是有机会遇到意想不到的挑战，或者我们会——会有新的疫苗接种需求——接种疫苗。很多事情都可能发生。很多事情都会改变，我们需要做好准备，”拜登周三在与强生和默克高管的一次活动中表示。

“在过去一年的黑暗隧道尽头有光明。但是我们现在不能放松警惕，也不能认为胜利是不可避免的。我们将一起度过这场流行病，迎来一个更健康、更有希望的未来，”他补充道。

亚历克斯·王/盖蒂影像公司

乔·拜登总统在与强生公司和默克公司首席执行官的活动中发表讲话

白宫已经说过足够的剂量到5月底，这种疫苗将可用于为每一个美国成年人或大约2.6亿人接种疫苗。

获得1亿剂额外的强生疫苗，如果最终确定，将不会加快这一时间表，但新的一批旨在作为一项针对各种未知因素的保险政策:为儿童接种疫苗的需要——以及最终的授权——需要加强注射，或者需要更多的剂量用于对抗新出现的病毒变体的研究。

彭博通过盖蒂图像

默克公司董事长兼首席执行官肯·弗雷泽在艾森豪威尔行政长官的一次活动中发言

在最近由白宫促成的一项协议中，这两家通常是竞争对手的公司联手提高制造能力和速度。周三在白宫举行的会议旨在强调这一里程碑式的伙伴关系。

强生公司追加的1亿剂疫苗将使美国购买该疫苗的承诺增加一倍，达到2亿剂。

安德鲁·哈尔尼克/美联社

约翰逊和约翰逊董事长兼首席执行官亚历克斯·戈尔斯基在奥迪南方法院的一次活动上发言

强生疫苗只需要1剂就能提供针对新冠肺炎的全面疫苗接种。强生公司也不需要专门的冰箱或极低的温度，这使得它成为长期储存和分配到农村社区的方便选择。

Biden announces effort to procure 100 million additional Johnson & Johnson doses

PresidentJoe Bidenannounced Wednesday a push to procure 100 million additional doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccineto be deliveredsometime in the latter half of 2021.

"I'm doing this because in this wartime efforts, we need maximum flexibility. There's always a chance that we’ll encounter unexpected challenges or we’ll -- there’ll be a new need for a vaccine effort -- a vaccination effort. A lot can happen. A lot can change, and we need to be prepared," Biden said Wednesday during an event with executives from Johnson & Johnson and Merck.

"There is light at the end of this dark tunnel of the past year. But we cannot let our guard down now or assume the victory is inevitable. Together, we're gonna get through this pandemic and usher in a healthier and more hopeful future," he added.

The White House has already saidenough dosesof the vaccine will be available to vaccinate every American adult, or about 260 million people, by the end of May.

The acquisition of 100 million additional doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, if finalized, will not speed up that timeline, but the new batch is intended to be kept as an insurance policy against various unknowns: the need -- and eventual authorization -- to vaccinate children, the need for booster shots, or the need for more doses to use in research on combatting emerging variants of the virus.

In a recent agreement brokered by the White House, the two companies, typically rivals, have teamed up to boost manufacturing capability and speed. Wednesday's meeting at the White House is meant to highlight that landmark partnership.

The additional 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson would represent a doubling of the U.S. commitment to purchase that vaccine, to a total of 200 million doses.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only 1 dose to confer full vaccination against COVID-19. Johnson & Johnson also does not require specialized freezers or extremely low temperatures, making it a convenient option for longtime storage and distribution to rural communities.