U.S. sees risk of COVID-19 supply rationing without more funds: AP

NEW YORK, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The White House is planning for "dire" contingencies that could include rationing supplies of vaccines and treatments this fall if Congress doesn't approve more money for fighting COVID-19, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Saturday.

"Ashish Jha, the White House coronavirus coordinator, has painted a dark picture in which the U.S. could be forced to cede many of the advances made against the coronavirus over the last two years and even the most vulnerable could face supply shortages," said the report.

Meanwhile, the Joe Biden administration's officials have been warning for weeks that the country has spent nearly all the money in the 1.9-trillion-U.S.-dollar American Rescue Plan that was dedicated directly to the COVID-19 response.

"A small pool of money remains, and the administration faces critical decisions about how to spend it," said AP in its report.

That means tough decisions, like weighing whether to use it to secure the next generation of vaccines to protect the highest risk populations or giving priority to a supply of highly effective therapies that dramatically reduce the risks of severe illness and death, it added.