US President-elect Joe Biden has recently announced a controversial shift in Covid-19 vaccination strategy, aiming to release all available doses as soon as possible.

“The President-elect believes we must accelerate distribution of the vaccine while continuing to ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible. He supports releasing available doses immediately, and believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans’ arms now,” TJ Ducklo, a spokesman for Biden’s transition team said.

“He will share additional details next week on how his administration will begin releasing available doses when he assumes office on January 20,” Ducklo added.

The Biden team believes that vaccine manufacturers will be able to produce enough second doses in a timely fashion while administering first doses to more Americans, a transition official said. It also plans to use the Defence Production Act to produce vaccine materials and other supplies in order to ensure there’s enough vaccine for both doses.

The official added that the Biden team may hold back a small amount of doses in case of unforeseen circumstances. Outgoing President Donald Trump’s administration also does this — in addition to holding back the second doses — in the event of incidents such as shipment errors or vaccine spoilage.