WASHINGTON, Feb 12 — US President Joe Biden said yesterday the government had signed deals to acquire 200 million more Covid-19 vaccine doses.

"Just this afternoon, we signed ... final contracts for 100 million more Moderna and 100 million more Pfizer vaccines,” he said after touring the National Institutes of Health near Washington.

"We’re now on track to have enough supply for 300 million Americans by the end of July,” he added.

The administration announced it was seeking these deals last month, which increase the US vaccine supply by 50 per cent.

The US immunisations campaign got off to a shaky start in December but has since improved: 44.8 million shots have now reached arms, and at least 33.7 million people have received one or more doses, roughly 10 per cent of the population.

Thousands of pharmacies were taking appointments yesterday to begin administering shots the next day, while the federal government has also used emergency legislation to ramp up vaccine production, opened mass vaccine sites in stadiums, and has begun a separate programme to reach underserved communities. — AFP