Increase in vaccine production
US company Moderna is building two new production lines, the launch of which will allow it to increase production of coronavirus vaccines by 50%, currently carried out at the company's facility in Norwood, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The Wall Street Journal reported this on Monday, citing a statement from Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel.
Stephane Bancel also noted that increased production of the vaccine would not only help meet demand in the United States, but also make it possible to export the vaccine to other countries in the future.
"We plan and hope that once the United States has sufficient supplies of the vaccine, we will be allowed to export it so that we can help as many countries as possible around the world", Bancel was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.
It is worth noting that the first of the production lines under construction is scheduled to be launched this autumn, the second in early 2022. The company, the newspaper says, is also expanding production of its vaccine outside the US, which with the help of its partners will allow it to increase production to about 3 billion doses in 2022, up from 1 billion doses planned for this year.