U.S. makes vaccine deal

Two major drug companies will supply the U.S. government with 100 million doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine, the Trump administration said Friday, as the nation’s top health agency predicted that fatalities would rise in the coming weeks.

The agreement calls for the U.S. government to pay French drug maker Sanofi and British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline up to U.S. $2.1 billion to supply it with enough vaccines for 50 million people, with the option to buy another 500 million doses. The purchase falls under the Trump administration’s so-called Operation Warp Speed, intended to rush a COVID-19 vaccine to the market by the end of 2020.

The coronavirus, which first appeared in China, has infected 4.5 million people in the U.S. and killed more than 152,000 Americans.