***To read the full blog, please check out the complete post on NewsBusters***
The liberal media pounced on a Monday New York Times report that claimed the Trump administration didn’t buy enough of the Pfizer COVID vaccine to protect every American. While the U.S. government did only purchase 100 million doses from Pfizer, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar busted their fearmongering with the fact the White House had purchased 600 million doses over six different manufacturers. But the broadcast network (ABC, CBS, and NBC) refused to listen to reason.
Azar did his lie busting during an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt. In the lead up to the interview, Holt proclaimed that Azar had “played down concerns over potential vaccine shortages.”
“I know in the Pfizer deal the government agreed to pay for 100 million doses and perhaps 500 million beyond that. To your knowledge has the government taken the option to buy more of what now appears to be a very successful vaccine,” Holt pressed.
It was in response to that nonsense that Azar dropped the truth on just how much of vaccine the Trump administration had purchased:
SECRETARY ALEX AZAR (HHS): So, Lester, you’re correct. Across the six different vaccine manufacturers that we placed contracts with, with each of them we guaranteed the purchase of 100 million doses of vaccine so that we would have 600 million doses of vaccine across a broad portfolio.
With Pfizer we have an option to buy an additional 500 million more. I'm not able to reveal discussions around potential procurements because that's what we call procurement sensitive information. But we are continuing to work across manufacturers to expand the availability of releasable FDA approved vaccine as quickly as possible.
While Holt continued to suggest that the U.S. couldn’t buy more from Pfizer, which wasn’t true according to Azar, he tried to suggest that prioritizing U.S. citizens over the rest of the world meant officials expected shortages. “No. We are prioritizing the manufacturer of vaccine here in America and the procurement of that vaccine for the benefit of Americans,” Azar shot back.
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