The United States on Feb. 22 crossed the staggering milestone of 500,000 Covid-19 deaths just over a year since the coronavirus pandemic claimed its first known victim in Santa Clara County, California.

U.S. President Joe Biden secured a commitment from Pfizer Inc. to double the Covid-19 vaccine the company churns out in the coming weeks, putting his goal to fill the country’s inoculation stockpile by summer in sight.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stepping up efforts to track coronavirus mutations and keep vaccines and treatments effective against new variants until collective immunity is reached, the agency’s chief said.

U.S. public health officials said a second Covid-19 shot could be administered as much as six weeks apart from the first one in situations where it was not possible to get a booster dose immediately.

The United States under President Joe Biden intends to join the COVAX vaccine facility that aims to deliver coronavirus vaccines to poor countries, his chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, told the World Health Organization (WHO).

Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said his company supports Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus-focused plan that is intended to boost vaccination efforts and address the pandemic.

Leading U.S. infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci said he foresees America achieving enough collective Covid-19 immunity through vaccinations to regain “some semblance of normality” by autumn 2021, despite early setbacks in the vaccine rollout.

The United States recorded more than 15,000 deaths from Covid-19 and over 1.2 million new cases for the week ended Dec. 27, though those numbers may be artificially low due to reporting gaps over the Christmas holiday.

Daily U.S. deaths from Covid-19 surpassed 3,000 for the third time in a week as the country expanded its vaccination program and Congress progressed toward approving financial relief for pandemic-stricken America.

Pfizer, COVID vaccine

The United States authorized the use of Pfizer Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine on Dec. 11, with the first inoculations expected within days, marking a turning point in a country where the pandemic has killed more than 295,000 people.