(Adds comments from U.S. officials)
By Carl O'Donnell and Lisa Lambert
Sept 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. plans to invest $3 billion in
the vaccine supply chain as it continues to work to position
itself as a leading supplier of vaccines for the world, a top
U.S. health official said on Thursday.
The funding, which will begin to be distributed in the
coming weeks, will focus on manufacturers of the inputs used in
COVID-19 vaccine production as well as facilities that fill and
package vaccine vials, White House COVID adviser Jeffrey Zients
said during a news conference.
"The investments we are making, the $3 billion, are in U.S.
companies that will expand their capacity for critical
supplies," Zients said.
He added that areas of focus will include lipids, bioreactor
bags, tubing, needles, syringes, and personal protective
equipment. The White House has not yet selected specific
companies to receive the funds.
U.S. demand for COVID-19 vaccines remains high as the White
House prepares to begin offering a third booster shot to
Americans later this month, pending a regulator greenlight. The
United States also plans to give hundreds of millions of shots
to other countries during the remainder of the year.
Top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci added that
he would not be surprised if a third dose became standard for
COVID-19 vaccines that originally were expected to require two
shots.
U.S. cases of COVID-19 have surged to a seven-day average of
more than 150,000 per day, up from less than 10,000 in June,
according to federal data, as the contagious new Delta variant
continues to circulate.
The daily average of COVID-19 deaths has risen this week to
more than 950 from around 900 last week, U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said.
Fauci downplayed concerns about a new COVID-19 variant known
as Mu, or B.1.621, that some scientists are concerned could be
resistant to vaccines.
"Even when you have variants that do diminish somewhat the
efficacy of vaccines, the vaccines still are quite effective
against variants of that type," Fauci said.
(Reporting by Carl O'Donnell in New York and Ahmed Aboulenein
and Lisa Lambert in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Leslie Adler
and Mark Porter)