The U.S. has doled out billions to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus that has infected more than 5.1 million people across the country, locking in a minimum of 800 million doses as soon as the immunizations are cleared later this year or early next year.
So far, the deals with a handful of pharmaceutical giants have topped roughly $10.79 billion as part of Operation Warp Speed, a program led by several departments within the federal government to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of vaccines and treatments to fight the coronavirus.
The operation aims to provide at least 300 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine by January 2021. In most of the agreements, the Department of Health and Human Services says the vaccines will be given to the American people for free if part of a vaccine campaign. Once the vaccines are approved, the campaign is intended to quickly deliver them to as many people as possible. The federal government has said it will cover the cost of delivery but health-care providers can charge to administer the vaccine.
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