Portage — President Joe Biden toured the Pfizer campus here Friday, thanked workers manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine and stressed the importance of accelerating its production and distribution as the nation approaches 500,000 dead from the virus.
“I can’t give you a date when this crisis will end. But I can tell you we're doing everything possible to have that day come sooner rather than later,” Biden said in remarks after Friday's plant tour.
“All of you here are doing some of the most important work in this facility, right here, that can be done.”
Pfizer had supplied 40 million doses to the U.S. government through Feb. 17, the company said, with more on the way, though severe winter storms have slowed the delivery of doses for three days this week.
“Getting the vaccine and having it available is not the same as putting into someone’s arm," Biden said, noting his administration's efforts to boost the number of vaccinators and vaccination sites across the nation.
“I believe we will be approaching normalcy by the end of the year. God willing, this Christmas will be different than the last. But I can’t make that commitment to you.”
Wearing a navy blue mask, the president around 2:30 p.m. entered a vast warehouse known as the "Freezer Farm," where 350 ultra-cold freezers each containing 360,000 doses of vaccines at 60 degrees Celsius, said Amy Rose, a Pfizer’s spokesperson.
Also on the tour with Biden are Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, according to a White House pool report.
Biden listened to explanations from company officials while Pfizer staff were filling up one of the freezers. He then moved on to a second stop where vaccines were being put into large boxes, together with dry ice.
Workers at the Pfizer facility are producing, labeling, packaging, freezing and shipping the company's vaccine. Engineers at the plant have also supported the invention and design of the ultra-cold vaccine thermal shipper that transported millions of doses of vaccine across the country.
“I want the American people to understand the extraordinary, extraordinary work that’s being done,” Biden said after the tour, part of his first trip to Michigan as president.
"If there is one message to cut through everyone in this country it's this: The vaccines are safe. ... Take the vaccine when it's your turn and available. That's how to beat this pandemic."
Pfizer has supplied 40 million doses to the government as of Feb. 17, Bourla said.
"We are on track to provide to the U.S. government a total of 120 million doses by the end of March, and to reach 200 million doses released by the end of May — two months ahead of the original schedule of that milestone," Bourla said.
He added that Biden had tasked the company with finding additional ways to potentially accelerate even further the delivery of the 300 million doses it is committed to deliver by the end of July.
"Mr. President, the challenge is accepted and, truly, we try to do our best," Bourla said.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township; State Sen. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo; and state Reps. Christine Morse, D-Texas Township, and Julie Rogers, D-Kalamazoo, were at the facility for Biden's visit.
To expand vaccination access, Biden noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided tens of millions of dollars to bolster community vaccination centers in Michigan.
By 1:30 p.m., dozens of demonstrators had gathered along Portage Road, the path from the airport to the Pfizer facility. Some were there to support the president while others carried anti-Biden and anti-Whitmer messages, like "China Joe" and "Stop the steal." One demonstrator wore a basket on his head and a Chinese flag as a cape.
"We're here for medical freedom," said protester Steve Lee of Grand Rapids. "We're here for government accountability."
Biden, a Delaware Democrat, announced Friday morning a $2 billion pledge to COVAX, the coronavirus vaccine initiative that aims to distribute vaccine doses to 92 low- and middle-income countries. This is a policy shift from the Trump administration.
Biden told world leaders about the funding on a virtual call with G7 leaders. He promised another $2 billion would be released to the alliance, contingent on contributions from other nations.
"We must cooperate if we're going to defeat COVID-19 everywhere," Biden told the Munich Security Conference from the White House.
Winter weather postponed Biden's trip to Michigan, which was originally scheduled for Thursday. Severe storms have also slowed the delivery of 6 million vaccine doses across the country — the result of three days of delayed shipping, the White House said Friday.
All 50 states have been affected, though some were able to cover the gap by relying on existing inventory, White House senior COVID adviser Andy Slavitt said at a briefing.
Part of the problem is that contract workers have been snowed in and unable to get to work to package and ship vaccine kits, Slavitt said. Road closures have also held up deliveries at different points, and over 2,000 vaccine sites are located in areas with power outages and unable to receive doses, he added.
Federal officials don't want to ship doses to sites where they can't be kept cold or would potentially expire, he said.
"The vaccines are sitting safe and sound in our factories and hubs safe and sound, waiting to be shipped out as soon as the weather allows," Slavitt said, adding that the backlogged doses will be delivered in the next week, including Saturday deliveries.
"We expect we will be able to manage both this backlog and the new production coming online next week."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had notified Michigan on Wednesday of shipment delays due to weather conditions of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. State officials urged residents to confirm their appointments prior to traveling and to have patience as providers seek to reschedule any appointments.
In Portage, Biden is expected to tout the progress his administration has made on expanding the supply of COVID vaccines nationwide since taking office a month ago.
Last week, Biden announced that he expects to have enough vaccine — 600 million doses — available to vaccinate every American by the end of July, including 300 million doses from Pfizer.
The boost in supply came after his administration approached Pfizer and Moderna and urged them to produce more vaccine and more rapidly, he said this week, adding that his team did so by triggering the Defense Production Act of 1950. The law lets the government nationalize commercial production in emergency situations.
Pfizer's Portage facility employs approximately 2,800 people and has employees working in three shifts, without stopping the production lines for breaks or holidays, so that the operation runs continuously, a spokesman said.
The company has added suppliers and contract manufacturers since December, improved production lines, doubled batch sizes and increased the yield per batch, according to the company. This includes expanding the supply of raw material from existing suppliers and bringing on new suppliers.
The Portage site was established in 1948, and the 1,300-acre facility is the largest manufacturing site in Pfizer’s network, a spokesman said, noting the site is the sole U.S. finishing plant manufacturing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
In addition to Pfizer's Portage site, the drug maker is producing the vaccine in St. Louis, Missouri, and Andover, Massachusetts.
Federal officials boosted weekly allocations of vaccine doses to the states from 11 million doses last week to 13.5 million doses this week — contributing to a 57% jump in vaccine allocations in the first four weeks that Biden has been in office.
The administration also doubled the weekly vaccine supply to local pharmacies from 1 million to 2 million doses.
That has helped to increase the number of doses administered nationally from an average of 900,000 a day in mid-January to 1.7 million a day for the last week, according to the White House.
In Michigan, 1.6 million doses of vaccine have been administered and reported to the state health agency, covering nearly 14% of the state population with at least one dose. Roughly 500,000 Michigan residents having received both shots of the two-dose vaccine.
Biden last visited Michigan the weekend before the Nov. 3 election, when he made stops in Flint and Detroit. Biden won the state over former President Donald Trump 51% to 48%.
mburke@detroitnews.com
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