BioNTech, the German biotechnology firm that partnered with Pfizer to produce one of the two COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the United States, is upping its 2021 vaccine delivery target to 2 billion doses, the company announced Monday.
Previously, the goal was to distribute 1.3 billion doses, but the use of a special syringe that allows six doses, rather than five, to be extracted from a standard vaccine vial was a driving force in raising the bar, Reuters reports. A new production site in Marburg, Germany, will become operational at the end of February and additional capacity by contractors supplying ingredients and filling the finished substance into vials will contribute to the new distribution goal. Read more at Reuters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Property turns a cornerThe outlook for the housing market is starting to look up as rates fall and confidence returns, according to Strutt & Parker.
-
What happens when a pope dies?In The Spotlight Vatican protocol on a pontiff's death is steeped in tradition and ritual
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozensSpeed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study findsSpeed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cowsSpeed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study findsSpeed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addictionSpeed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pillSpeed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
-
California declares bird flu emergencySpeed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
